![]() ![]() Riverside developments usurp the turtles by removing nesting sites. The conversion of these lands into agricultural fields and commercial developments replaces suitable habitat. Consumers making informed, responsible choices about exotic meats and agricultural products can lessen the pressure on these animals.Īgriculture in areas that formerly hosted bottomland hardwood forest and streams also impacts alligator snapping turtles. Losing that genetic diversity would also make it more difficult to find founders for populations in breeding programs designed for species conservation. Taking individuals from one or more of these populations could lead to local extirpation, which reduces the overall genetic variability that protects populations from disease outbreaks. There are three, genetically distinct subpopulations of alligator snapping turtles. It was most popular in the 1970s and 1980s for use in canned soup. Because they are large and easy to capture, the turtles' meat is harvested for consumption in domestic and international markets. ![]() The largest threat facing alligator snapping turtles has been uncontrolled wild harvesting for their meat, unique shells and to sell as exotic pets. It is illegal to capture wild alligator snapping turtles in Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Missouri and Tennessee, and a permit is required in Alabama, Illinois, Kansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma and Texas. In the United States, protections for the alligator snapping turtle vary from state to state, ranging from prohibitions on collecting wild individuals for commercial use and personal use to restrictions on commercial use. It is also protected under a listing in the CITES Appendix III. This means that the snapping turtle is highly unlikely to attack swimmers.This species was assessed in 1996 by the IUCN Red List and is listed as vulnerable. As such, if they see a person approaching, they are more than capable of swimming away or burying themselves under the earth at the bottom of the water. They are agile and highly skilled swimmers. Snapping turtle attacks are most common on land. Image credit: Sista Vonjintanaruks, Shutterstock Are Snapping Turtles Dangerous to Swimmers? They feel more comfortable in the water, where they spend most of their life and where they are agile and comfortable moving around. This is most likely to happen when the animal is on land. Snapping turtles are not aggressive, so will only attack if they feel threatened or exposed. They have the beak to cause injury but there has never been a single case of this species of reptile killing a human, and there are very few recorded cases of them attacking humans. There is also little evidence of snapping turtles attacking humans. In reality, they rarely predate young waterfowl, although it certainly isn’t unheard of. These reptiles have a somewhat negative reputation for being detrimental to the population of breeding waterfowl and for attacks on humans. Commonly they eat fish, frogs, and some birds and mammals. ![]() They are scavengers that eat plant matter as well as some small animals. They may be seen on the surface of the water, and on logs, but also spend time hiding beneath the mud and sediment at the bottom of the waterway. In particular, it can be found in ponds and streams. The snapping turtle is found in Canada and the US. ![]() While they have a strong beak, their docile nature means that they are not too threatening. However, they conduct most of their hunting in water, where they bury themselves in the sand and wait for their prey to swim by. While they do not have teeth, they do have a mouth that is shaped like a strong, solid, beak. They are also predators, which means that they have been given the physical tools to attack other animals. Snapping turtles have an aggressive-sounding name and both species, the common snapping turtle and the alligator snapping turtle, look prehistoric. There are no known instances of snapping turtles killing people, although there are very rare cases of biting chunks of flesh off, with most incidents occurring out of the water, when the turtle feels most vulnerable. Swimmers can easily avoid them, and as long as your dog doesn’t aggressively approach the turtle, they should be safe from being bitten, too. However, in reality, they are docile creatures that have little to do with people and are not considered dangerous unless they are disturbed. Prehistoric in their appearance, snapping turtles have a somewhat aggressive look. ![]()
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