Swamp Chomper

About the Swamp Chomper

The alligator snapping turtle (Macrochelys temminckii) is a large species of turtle in the family Chelydridae. They are the largest freshwater turtle in North America. The species is endemic to freshwater habitats in the United States. M. temminckii is one of the heaviest living freshwater turtles in the world. It is often associated with, but not closely related to, the common snapping turtle, which is in the genus Chelydra. The specific epithet temminckii is in honor of Dutch zoologist Coenraad Jacob Temminck.

Although it was once believed that only one extant species exists in the genus Macrochelys, recent studies have shown that there are two species, the other being the Suwannee snapping turtle (M. suwanniensis) of the Suwannee River. The most recent common ancestor (MRCA) of the two species lived approximately 3.2 to 8.9 million years ago, during the late Miocene to late Pliocene. A third species, the Apalachicola snapping turtle (M. apalachicolae), has been proposed, but is generally not recognized.

The alligator snapping turtle is given its common name because of its immensely powerful jaws and distinct ridges on its shell that are similar in appearance to the... Wikipedia →