Species
Suwannee alligator snapping turtle
Macrochelys suwanniensis
A giant snapping turtle found only in the Suwannee river system, including its headwaters in south Georgia.
Photo Chris Coppola (opens in a new tab) / Wikimedia Commons, Public domain (opens in a new tab)
At a glance
- Size
- Shell up to about 75 cm long in large males
- Weight
- Adults commonly 20 to 70 kg
- Habitat
- Blackwater rivers, creeks and swamps
- Diet
- Fish, turtles, snails, crayfish, carrion and fallen fruit
- In Georgia
- The Suwannee, Alapaha and Withlacoochee river systems of south Georgia
- Rabies vector
- No
Identification
- Key marks
- Massive head, hooked beak, three tall ridges on the shell and eyes on the sides of the head
- Told apart from
- Alligator snapping turtle, which looks almost identical but lives in different river systems
- Told apart from
- Common snapping turtle, which has a smoother shell and eyes facing upward
- Where to look
- Rarely seen; sometimes caught by anglers
Behaviour
It lures fish with a worm-like flap on its tongue while lying still on the river bottom, and spends nearly its whole life in the water. It was recognised as a separate species in 2014.
Why they matter
With a range confined to one river system, it depends entirely on the Suwannee basin's health, including the rivers that rise in south Georgia.
Reproduction and lifecycle
Nest — Dug by the female near the river
Eggs — Usually 15 to 40
Incubation — About 100 to 140 days
Hatchlings — Small, rough-shelled
Maturity — At over ten years
Lifespan — Many decades
Living around people
- Never try to pick one up. A turtle caught on a line is best released by cutting the line close to the mouth.
Misconceptions
- It is just a local alligator snapper. Genetic study shows it is a species of its own.
Related species
Seasonal activity
When this species breeds, and where it spends the rest of the year. The notes say what it is doing each month.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Breeding | Jan: no | Feb: no | Mar: no | Apr: no | May: no | Jun: no | Jul: no | Aug: no | Sep: no | Oct: no | Nov: no | Dec: no |
| Active nests | Jan: no | Feb: no | Mar: no | Apr: no | May: no | Jun: no | Jul: no | Aug: no | Sep: no | Oct: no | Nov: no | Dec: no |
| Notes | Inactive in deep water | Inactive | Becoming active | Courtship | Nesting | Nesting | Feeding | Hatching | Hatchlings emerge | Feeding | Slowing down | Inactive |
Where it lives
Recorded in 2 states and provinces. Each one links to the other animals there, and to the rehabilitators licensed for them.
If you found one
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