Snapping Turtle behavior

The unique looking Snapping Turtle is native to North America. It earns its name from its aggressive nature and incredibly strong jaws.

Snapping Turtles are interesting animals, but their aggressive nature and tendency to snap at everything (from which they get their name) makes them less than ideal pets. Aquatic turtles, the Snapping Turtle can be found in almost any type of water source. They are more commonly found in ponds, lakes, and streams with muddy bottoms, in which they can burrow and hibernate. Snapping Turtles have a very high tolerance for cold, essential in the climates they are native to. Snapping Turtles have been observed underneath layers of ice. Unlike many other turtle species, the Snapping Turtle does not spend a great deal of time basking in the sun. Rather than basking, which they do only occasionally, they spend time at the murky bottoms of lakes and streams. They are not active hunters, preferring instead to lie in wait until unsuspecting prey ventures near. They often hide in mud or underwater, exposing only their eyes and nose. When the prey is within reach, the turtle strikes very quickly and drags the prey underneath the water. Snapping Turtles may occasionally feed on land, but this is not their preferred method. When encountered on land, the Snapping Turtle is usually quite aggressive. When approached, they hiss, strike and emit a musky odor from glands near the tail. They are generally very calm when in the water and will retreat from threats instead of rising to them. Snapping Turtles are solitary animals and only interact with each other when defending their territory or mating. Snapping Turtles generally live between 30 and 40 years.

Complete List
African helmeted terrapin	Australian snake necked turtle	Big Headed Turtle	Black Marsh Terrapin	Blanding's Turtle
Bog Turtle	Box Turtle - Chinese	Box Turtle - Eastern	Box Turtle - Gulf Coast	Box Turtle - Indonesian
Box Turtle - Keeled	Box Turtle - Ornate	Box Turtle - Three Toe	Cogwheel Turtle	Diamondback Terrapin
East African Side Necked Turtle	European Pond Turtle	Florida Cooter	Fly River Turtle	Honduran Wood Turtle
Leaf Turtle	Map Turtle	Mata Mata Turtle	Musk Turtle	Painted River Terrapin
Painted Turtle - Eastern	Painted Turtle - Western	Red Eared Slider	Reeve's Terrapin	Snapping Turtle
Softshell Turtle - Black Rayed	Softshell Turtle - Eastern Spiny	Softshell Turtle - Florida	Spotted Turtle	Wood Turtle - Central American
Wood Turtle - North American	Yellow Spotted Amazon River Turtle	African Spurred Tortoise	Aldabra Giant Tortoise	Bow-Sprit Tortoise
Burmese Brown Tortoise	Chaco Tortoise	Desert Tortoise	Egyptian Tortoise	Elongated Tortoise
Forsten's Tortoise	Galapagos Tortoise	Gopher Tortoise	Greek Spur Thighed Tortoise	Hermann's Tortoise
Hingeback Tortoise - Bell's	Hingeback Tortoise - Home's	Impressed Tortoise	Leopard Tortoise	Leopard Tortoise - South African
Marginated Tortoise	Pancake Tortoise	Radiated Tortoise	Red Foot Tortoise	Russian Tortoise
Star Tortoise	Yellow Foot Tortoise

Latest news about Yellow Foot Tortoise

Newbie - Tortoise Forum - Tortoise Husbandry Community

I have 2 young Salcutas, a box turtle and a Yellow Foot Tortoise. I don't know how old the Yellow Foot is but fairly big. I don't know if it's a boy or girl come to think of it. We call him/her Shelly. It is my understanding Yellow Foots are shy. Continue reading

Legitimacy of most of the "Giant" Yellowfoot tortoises advertised

Legitimacy of most of the "Giant" Yellowfoot tortoises advertised. I have seen several sources/sellers/breeders offering these now and in the past. I have bought some of these animals from multiple sources. Now I know such ... Continue reading

Amazon Basin Yellow Foot Tortoise - Tortoise Forum - Tortoise ...

I remember seeing some ads popping up for these a while back and being skeptical(some of them claimed they got up to 30+ inches).. Mostly it was young torts being offered but occasionally I'd seen animals that were larger ... Continue reading

Yellow Foot Torts! - Tortoise Forum - Tortoise Husbandry Community

I got these 3 about two weeks ago, they are a little "rough around the edges" but heavy and otherwise seem healthy. We had some sniffles and there looks to be some reverse pyramiding but i am happy to have them! Continue reading

Julio Feld: How to tell gender of my yellow foot tortoise?

How to tell gender of my yellow foot tortoise? Since it's a baby, it's impossible to know what gender your tortoise is. The tail doesn't get long in males until they're at least 5 inches long. As babies they all look like females. Continue reading

Yellow-footed Tortoises

So my friend's boyfriend's aunt has this tortoise she is considering giving to her nephew. My friend told me it was a Russian tortoise but when she sent me a pic on my phone, it was a yellow-footed to. Continue reading

MY CAKELICIOUS GIRLS - Tortoise Forum - Tortoise Husbandry ...

RE: MY CAKELICIOUS GIRLS. BEAUTIFUL!!!! Big Grin. "Behold the tortoise! He only gets ahead by sticking his neck out!" Tort Family: Tortoise 1.0.1 Greek 2.4.0 Russian o.1.3 Leopard 0.0.3 Red-Foot 0.0.3 Yellow-Foot 2.2.0 Boxers ... Continue reading

Yellow-footed Tortoise - PhotoBanter.com

On Wed, 5 Jan 2011 16:39:39 -0500, "Tim Conway" wrote: "mmyvusenet" wrote in message ... Hello: I had the opportunity to take this photo of this reptile: http://www.flickr.com/photos/mmyv/5327224823/ Thanks for your ... Continue reading

My New girl.... - Tortoise Forum - Tortoise Husbandry Community

Being the good aunt I am, I obliged Big Grin. Attached File(s). Thumbnail(s). "Behold the tortoise! He only gets ahead by sticking his neck out!" Tort Family: Tortoise 1.0.1 Greek 2.4.0 Russian o.1.3 Leopard 0.0.3 Red-Foot 0.0.3 Yellow-Foot ... Continue reading

Yellow Foot - Tortoise Forum - Tortoise Husbandry Community

http://providence.craigslist.org/pet/2779824277.html. Continue reading

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Snapping_Turtle".