Though widespread across North America, from the foot of the Rockies to the Atlantic Seaboard and from southern Canada to the Gulf Coast, common snapping turtles favor the muddy bottom of shallow lakes, ponds and rivers and are not often encountered by the casual naturalist. When seen, they are usually lumbering across country roads, searching for nest sites or new feeding grounds.
Despite their reputation as vicious predators, snapping turtles are opportunistic omnivores, feeding on a wide variety of plant and animal life, including carrion; while they will snare an occasional duckling or young muskrat, they are more likely to dine on decaying carp, aquatic vegetation, frogs, water snakes and smaller turtles. Mating is also opportunistic, occuring from mid spring to late autumn; since females can store viable sperm for years, one encounter is sufficient to fertilize several clutches of eggs. Up to ninety eggs are deposited in a pit, dug by the female in late spring, and will hatch in 2 to 4 months, depending upon the soil temperature; in northern latitudes, the young may not emerge until the following summer.
Hunted by humans for their meat, common snapping turtles cannot fully retract their head, legs and large, armored tail and are thus vulnerable to other predators when out of water; in southern lakes and streams, they may also become victims of alligators. Weighing up to 60 pounds and sporting a shell up to 20 inches in length, snappers may live for 30 years in their natural habitat of freshwater or brackish wetlands.
