Kingdom  Animalia
Phylum  Chordata
Class  Reptilia
Order  Testudines
Family  Chelydridae
Genus  Macroclemys
Species  Macroclemys temminckii

Alligator Snapping Turtle

Diet

Reproduction

Habitat

Historical Distribution

Economic Value

Status

Literature Cited

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Author: Travis Wayne Farris

Site created by: Rachael McCormick

Site Maintained by: Dr. Mark Wallace

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Reproduction 

Alligator snapping turtles mate in the spring and nest two months later (Richards 2002).  The female excavates a nest < 12m (36ft) from the water’s edge (Pritchard 1989), where she lays 52 to 80 eggs (Richards 2002).  The incubation period is approximately 80 to 140 days (Levine 1994, Richards 2002).  Sex of the offspring is determined by the incubation temperature, with temperatures of 27.5°C to 28°C producing almost 100 percent males and temperatures of 28°C to 29°C producing almost 100 percent females (Rhen and Lang 1998).  Due to the fact the alligator snapping turtle does not travel overland between bodies of water, there is high genetic variability between populations, possibly because each population evolved under different environmental circumstances (Roman et al 1999).

Hatchling alligator snapping turtle picture