Snapping Turtle
Chelydra serpentina
Snapping Turtle 2
Identification:
The snapping turtles have a large head and a strong beak instead of teeth. The edge of their jaws are sharp to rip apart food. Their tail is armored by dermal scales. The carapace has laterally reduced pleurals. The shell is covered by dermal scutes that create a horny armor on the turtle’s shell. Their feet are webbed and have 4 to 5 claws on each of their feet.
Niche
The snapping turtle is a consumer and a omnivore. Snapping turtles eat plants, small fish, snakes, insects, frogs, small birds and will even eat dead animals or other turtles.
Sources:
http://www.what-do-turtles-eat.info/what-do-snapping-turtles-eat/
Sources and Credits
- (c) Karim Rezk, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-ND), http://www.flickr.com/photos/22242516@N06/2850135743
- Adapted by snappingturtle4321 from a work by (c) Wikipedia, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chelydra_serpentina
