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SPECIES PROFILE

Snapping Turtle (Chelydra serpentina)

Chelydra

IUCN STATUS

Special Concern

Snapping Turtle (Chelydra serpentina) — Eastern North America from Nova Scotia to the Rocky Mountains; core Canadian range in Ontario and Quebec

CONSERVATION STATUS

Special Concern

CLASS

Reptilia

GEOGRAPHICAL RANGE

Eastern North America from Nova Scotia to the Rocky Mountains; core Canadian range in Ontario and Quebec

DIET

Omnivore

HABITAT

Shallow muddy-bottomed lakes, rivers, and wetlands with abundant aquatic vegetation

🔬 Classification

PHYLUM

Chordata

CLASS

Reptilia

ORDER

Testudines

FAMILY

Chelydridae

GENUS

Chelydra

📋 Description

SIZE

25–47 cm carapace; 4.5–16 kg; the largest freshwater turtle in Canada

COLORATION

Dark brown to tan rough carapace; large head with a hooked beak; long tail with a sawtooth crest; algae often grows on the shell

ADAPTATIONS

Omnivorous ambush predator; algae-covered shell provides camouflage; able to survive for months under ice in winter

🌿 Ecology

HABITAT

Shallow muddy-bottomed lakes, rivers, and wetlands with abundant aquatic vegetation

DIET

Omnivore

GEOGRAPHIC RANGE

Eastern North America from Nova Scotia to the Rocky Mountains; core Canadian range in Ontario and Quebec

REPRODUCTION

Females travel up to 2 km to find a nest site; lay 25–80 eggs in June; 55–125 day incubation; hatchlings overwinter in the nest

DIET DETAILS

Fish, frogs, birds, small mammals, aquatic invertebrates, and aquatic plants — a highly generalist diet

⚠️ Threats & Conservation

PRIMARY THREATS

Road mortality of nesting females; bycatch in fish traps; harvest for the turtle soup trade; wetland drainage

💡 Interesting Facts

1

Snapping Turtles are among Canada's longest-lived reptiles, potentially surviving 70+ years; they do not reach reproductive maturity until 15–20 years, making adult mortality very damaging.

2

Despite their aggressive reputation on land, Snapping Turtles are not aggressive in water; their defensive bite is a response to being approached or handled out of water.

🔭 Sighting Guide

📍 BEST PLACES TO SIGHT

Point Pelee National Park, ON, has Snapping Turtles in its marshes and is a key conservation site

Rideau River corridor near Ottawa, ON, has a healthy Snapping Turtle population in slow-moving water

Lac Saint-Pierre near Trois-Rivières, QC, is an important Snapping Turtle habitat in the St. Lawrence floodplain

🗓️ BEST TIME TO SIGHT

Mid-June when females travel overland to nest; early morning at the edges of marshes and slow rivers in southern Ontario and Quebec.

🎯 SIGHTING TIPS

June. Watch for females crossing roads to nest in southern Ontario; early morning at marshes and slow rivers from May to October.