-
Welcome to BirdForum, the internet's largest birding community with thousands of members from all over the world. The forums are dedicated to wild birds, birding, binoculars and equipment and all that goes with it.
Please register for an account to take part in the discussions in the forum, post your pictures in the gallery and more.
Turtle ID, please? (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter GR Triever
- Start date
cuckooroller
Registered User
Chelydra serpentina (Common Snapping Turtle)
GR Triever
Well-known member
That's what I thought, but why does everything I read say that snappers are brown in color, and this fellow is definitely green?
cuckooroller
Registered User
GR Triever said:
GR,
I presume that it may be true out of the water and with all of the alga burnt off of the carapace. This would be a snapping turtle even if it were purple with pink polka dots. It is enough to look at the pointed beak and obvious strong shearing maxillary overbite and the long fleshy tail and relatively small carapace. These turtles don't need the overlarge carapace to draw up into to hide themselves as other turtles necessitate due to their pugnaciousness when disturbed by a potential predator.
gthang
Ford Focus Fanatic: mmmmmm... 3.1415926535.....
I saw a snapper last week in the water, and there were a bunch of disturbances near the head area (the head was submerged, probably catching prey). I've never seen this act before, but when I snapped pictures when the head was visible, it had a much bigger beak than GR Triever's turtle...
cuckooroller
Registered User
gthang,
You're in NY State and should have only the Common Snapping Turtle (northern subspecies). You don't have the Alligator ST (Macroclemys temminckii) unless someone dumped one there as they are indigenous to the Mississippi fluvial system and now pretty much restricted to the gulf states though once ranging farther north. They can be easily told apart from the common as they has a much more ridged knobby carapace and a triangular skull looking down on it (makes them look more beaky).
You're in NY State and should have only the Common Snapping Turtle (northern subspecies). You don't have the Alligator ST (Macroclemys temminckii) unless someone dumped one there as they are indigenous to the Mississippi fluvial system and now pretty much restricted to the gulf states though once ranging farther north. They can be easily told apart from the common as they has a much more ridged knobby carapace and a triangular skull looking down on it (makes them look more beaky).
cuckooroller
Registered User
gthang said:
Carapace = Shell
samuel walker
It's OK to be a little blue........
Similar threads
