Alligator snapping turtle

Amazing fact

Alligator snapping turtles pump water in and out with their throats to detect chemicals released by prey.

University of Michigan Animal Diversity Web

Alligator snapping turtle in its habitat (illustration)

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An illustration based on the real animal.

A little discovery to share.

Alligator snapping turtles pump water in and out with their throats to detect chemicals released by prey.

SourceUniversity of Michigan Animal Diversity Web — Macrochelys temminckii

THE REAL WORLD

The real Alligator snapping turtle

Scientific name: Macrochelys temminckii
Japanese name: ワニガメ
Group: Amphibians and reptiles

Class: Reptilia
Order: Testudines
Family: Chelydridae
Genus: Macrochelys

Facts about the real animal.

A turtle of the southern United States that lives in rivers flowing into the Gulf of Mexico. It spends most of its time in the water.

Smithsonian's National Zoo — Alligator snapping turtle

It has a big head and a hooked upper beak. When algae grows on its back, it becomes hard to spot on muddy river bottoms.

国立環境研究所侵入生物データベース — ワニガメ Smithsonian's National Zoo — Alligator snapping turtle

It is most active at night. It keeps perfectly still in the water and shows a worm-like lure on its tongue to attract prey.

Smithsonian's National Zoo — Alligator snapping turtle

How the Alligator snapping turtle lives

They search for food in the water and along the shore even on warm winter days. They also eat other turtles and molluscs. Mating usually takes place in early spring. Females go onto land and dig nests in sand to lay their eggs.

University of Michigan Animal Diversity Web Smithsonian's National Zoo

Basic data

Size: Carapace length: up to 80 cm
Weight: up to 113 kg
Active: At night (nocturnal)
Diet: Fish, amphibians, crustaceans, aquatic plants and other foods
Range: Southeastern United States

国立環境研究所侵入生物データベース

Where the Alligator snapping turtle has been recorded

Records: GBIF.org (CC0 and CC BY 4.0 records, retrieved 2026-11-07). Map: Natural EarthSee the records on GBIF

Where it livesNorth America Rivers and wetlands

Watch wild animals from a distance. Do not touch or feed them, and take care of the places where they live.

Names around the world

日本語: ワニガメ

Names come from Wikidata and iNaturalist records. Where a language has no recorded name, we use the scientific name.

Sources and how we check

国立環境研究所侵入生物データベース — ワニガメChecked: 2026-11-03
Smithsonian's National Zoo — Alligator snapping turtleChecked: 2026-11-03
University of Michigan Animal Diversity Web — Macrochelys temminckiiChecked: 2026-11-03

We check each fact against its source. The illustrations simplify how the real animal looks.

The classification (class, order, family, genus) follows Wikidata records, checked against GBIF. Classifications can change as research goes on.

The basic data are the values given in each source. They vary with how the animal is measured, whether it is male or female, and whether it lives in the wild or in captivity.

This page was translated from the original Japanese with the help of AI.

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