Groupmusic The Women Had

The snapping turtle ( Macrochelys temminckii) is the freshwater turtle pi ù largest in North America . He was on the edge of extinction because it was hunted for its meat, is now the snapping turtle species protected but remains very vulnerable skillful. This turtle would not go anyway
bbe raised because it is considered very aggressive.
Its carapace can 'reach 65 cm in length (record 80) and can' weigh up to 100 kg, the male is' larger than females.
The color of the carapace varies from black to dark brown, and often is covered with algae.
Two hundred million years ago, lived in Germany p iu 'great turtle of the species Proganochelys Quenstedt, its carapace measured 40 cm in length. The appearance of this prehistoric turtle is very close to that of the snapping turtle. The language of
snapping turtle is equipped with a reddish vermiform appendix, which uses as bait to lure his victims.

Lifestyle

The snapping turtle lives in the central and southern U.S.: Virginia, South Carolina, Florida, eastern Texas, Oklahoma Eastern Europe, extreme southeastern Kansas and Missouri in particular. .. occupies the entire basin of the Mississippi River.

remains much of the day at the bottom of a river or lake, with its mouth open in order to retrieve the prey.
Furthermore, thanks to filamentous algae that are created on its shell, perfectly camouflaged.
This is a very opportunistic turtle eats almost anything that crosses his path.

These turtles are closely related to aquatic life, and only the females return to lay their eggs on land .

Playing

The female lays 1-50 eggs ch and hatch after 6-10 days. The incubation period is highly variable and depends on the weather.
Sexual Maturity ale is around 12 years.

Its eggs are, unfortunately, fall prey to many aquatic animals, 20% are eaten. The small are obviously very vulnerable.

His longevity in nature is still unknown, in farming can 'pass the 50 years of life



Breeding This species, as already mentioned, it is inadvisable to breed in captivity.
This is particularly true that this species is perfectly adapted to our climate. Many buyers NEOFIL (now known as NAC) have the ugly habit to release these animals in nature because with age they become cumbersome. This type of behavior leads to ecological disasters.

This species is considered endangered and is included in the IUCN Red List as vulnearbile. His work is now highly regulated. The holding of this species has been banned in some U.S. states.