📸 PhotoPhoto: Peter Paplanus from St. Louis, Missouri · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons Source
Alligator Snapping Turtle
Macrochelys temminckii (Alligator Snapping Turtle · ワニガメ)
💡 Everyday Comparisons for Size, Mass & Speed
- 💡 A male's maximum weight of 90 kg is heavier than a traditional sack of rice (80 kg) (Comparison).
- 💡 Luring fish with the worm-shaped appendage on its tongue can be compared to angling with an earthworm threaded on a fishhook (Comparison).
Reference standards: coach bus ~12 m, mid-size car ~4.9 m, compact car ~1 t, basketball hoop 3.05 m, credit card 8.56 cm.
Site-computed relative index from recorded values; not a formal scientific metric.
📖 1. Overview
The Alligator Snapping Turtle is a large freshwater turtle living in major rivers and lakes of the southern United States.
🦴 2. Anatomy & Morphology
Males grow to a maximum carapace length of 80 cm and a maximum weight of 90 kg. A worm-shaped appendage on its tongue lures prey.
🔍 3. Ecology & Behavior
It feeds mainly on fish and aquatic animals, occasionally eating small mammals and plants, lying still at night and wriggling its tongue lure to attract prey. It can stay underwater for 40–50 minutes without breathing.
🇰🇷 4. Connection to Korea
No direct record connecting this species to Korea has been found.
📚 Sources & References
- • IUCN Red List EN (2025) — https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/232775771/507158
- • IUCN Red List category EN — latest assessment at iucnredlist.org
- • catalogueoflife.org — 3X3WY
- • iucnredlist.org — 507158
- • wikidata.org — Q457872
- • commons.wikimedia.org — File:Alligator Snapping Turtle (Macrochelys temminckii) (358
- • nationalzoo.si.edu — alligator-snapping-turtle
- • animaldiversity.org — Macrochelys temminckii
- • Silhouette: PhyloPic — Beth Reinke · CC0 1.0 (Related taxon silhouette — Chelydra serpentina)
Recorded dimensions are widely cited representative estimates from public literature and may vary by study or specimen.