Snapping Turtle

colour photo of a snapping turtle at the bottom of a pand

Snapping Turtle

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Chordata

Class: Testudines

Family: Chelydridae

Genus: Chelydra

Species: Chelydra serpentina

Snapping Turtles have an embarrassing secret: while most turtles can pull into their shell for protection, Snapping Turtles can’t! The bottom part of their shell, called the plastron, is too small to fit their head, legs, and tail safely inside. That’s why they can be grumpy on land - it’s only to protect themselves! On land, they’re too slow to run away from danger and will snap their jaws to keep any predators away. In the water, they simply swim away and are of no safety concern for people. Not only that, but they are important aquatic scavengers and work to keep our water systems clean.