Turtle Facts

Known Facts About the Common Snapping Turtle

Common Snapping turtles have been harvested throughout history from all over the eastern half of the US, from the Rocky Mountains to Maine to Florida. Their habitat is mainly shallow ponds, rivers, and swamp or marsh areas.

The Common Snapping Turtle in the wild has an average growth rate of about 2lbs. per year for the first 10 years of its life. After that, their yearly growth rate seems to increase reaching a maximum size of about 60lbs.

It is widely known that these creatures have an aggressive, disagreeable and highly predatory disposition.

Females are generally smaller than males. The Common Snapping Turtle has a very high reproduction rate with up to 30 hatchlings per nest, per year.

Each state carefully regulates the harvest of Common Snapping Turtles to ensure their continued natural abundance. As a whole they are a very robust and renewable species in nature.