Where do snapping turtles live in the US?
The male snapping turtle can live to be between the ages of 11 years old to 45 years old. The female snapping turtle lives around 15 years to 37 years old. The average for males was about 26 years and the average for females was around 23 years old. [15] In captivity, they age longer and healthier.
The incubation period lasts for 100 – 140 days. The average lifespan of snapping turtles is about 80 – 120 years in the wild even though some are expected to live 200 years. The age in captivity is 20 – 70 years.
The alligator snapping turtle is found primarily in waters of the southeastern United States. It is found from the Florida Panhandle west to East Texas, north to southeastern Kansas, Missouri, southeastern Iowa, western Illinois, southern Indiana, western Kentucky, and western Tennessee.
“Alligator snapping turtles have been protected in Texas since the 1970′s,” said Meredith Longoria, Deputy Director of the TPWD Wildlife Division. The turtles are also protected under Louisiana State law and are considered a popular food item in the state, TPWD officials said.
The most commonly found turtles in the Adirondack Park are the snapping turtle, the painted turtle, the spotted turtle, and the wood turtle.
Snapping turtles in the 10- to 14-pound range provide the best meat for eating. Older, bigger turtles will have tougher, fishier-tasting meat.
Snapping turtles are found continuously in North America from eastern Canada and New England to the Rockies, and they are also found in pockets from Mexico and Central America to Ecuador. Snapping turtles are noted for their large size and aggressive nature.
Two types of snapping turtle are found in Texas. Common snappers have no special protections, but the alligator snapping turtle is a threatened species in Texas.
Lakes, ponds, rivers, streams, and marshes throughout New York, particularly in slow moving, shallow waters with a muddy bottom. One of the most adaptable reptiles in New York, they are even found in urban waterways. Females move to upland nesting locations predominantly in the early morning or early evening.
Today green sea turtles, like all other species of sea turtles, are federally protected under the Endangered Species Act. If you ate one in the United States, you would be committing a felony.
Snapping turtles can even be found in polluted waters and urban wetlands, although populations in these habitats may not be robust. Range: Snapping turtles range across the eastern United States to the Rocky Mountains, from southern Canada to the Gulf of Mexico, and into Central America.
Common snapping turtles live in shallow freshwater or brackish habitats over a huge North American range, from the eastern US to the Rocky Mountains and even into Canada. Lakes, swamps, ponds, and streams can all be homes for these creatures, and you can find them all over the Berkshires.
