How can you tell the difference between a baby snapping turtle and a regular snapping turtle?

How can you tell the difference between a baby snapping turtle and a regular snapping turtle?

The alligator snapping turtle has a triangular head. The common snapping turtle has an oval-shaped head. An alligator snapping turtle has two distinct features that its cousin doesn’t have. For one thing, the alligator snapper has a red, wormlike lure in its mouth.

What do baby common snapping turtles look like?

The common snapping turtle (Chelydra serpentina) has a brown or black shell (aka a carapace) that is rough and ridged when it’s young but gets smooth with age and a lighter-colored bottom (aka plastron). The mottled colors of the shell makes for great camouflage at the bottom of a pond.

How can you tell a baby snapping turtle?

Snapping turtles are easily recognized by their dark carapace (upper shell) with a deeply serrated back margin and a small plastron (bottom shell) that does not completely cover all of the animal’s flesh. Three low keels (or ridges) on the carapace of younger turtles often become obscure as the turtle matures.

How can you tell if a baby snapping turtle is male or female?

The most common way to determine gender in a turtle is to look at the length of its tail. 3 Female turtles have short and skinny tails while males sport long, thick tails, with their vent (cloaca) positioned closer to the end of the tail when compared to a female.

Which is bigger alligator snapping turtle or common snapping turtle?

The alligator snapping turtle is a lot larger than the common variety. The alligator snapping turtle is much heavier at up to 176 lbs., compared with 35 lbs. for the common variety. The alligator variety also has its eyes on the side of its head, while other snapping turtles have forward-pointing eyes.

How many different kinds of snapping turtles are there?

The world is home to just two species of snapping turtles — common snapping turtles and alligator snapping turtles — and both live in Illinois. Even though both species live in the state, odds are if you’ve seen one, it’s a common snapping turtle.

Will a baby snapping turtle bite?

Baby snapping turtles, as their name suggests, can be aggressive and bite. As adults their powerful jaws can cut through flesh and can even remove a finger or toe! The common species average bite force is 209 Newtons (over 45 pounds of force!).