---
title: "Common Snapping Turtle"
description: "Chelydra serpentina — Reptiles. The common snapping turtle (Chelydra serpentina) is a species of large, freshwater turtles in the family Chelydridae."
canonical: https://animalchecklist.com/animal/common-snapping-turtle
last_updated: 2026-09-20
---

# Common Snapping Turtle

> Chelydra serpentina — Reptiles. The common snapping turtle (Chelydra serpentina) is a species of large, freshwater turtles in the family Chelydridae.

- Scientific name: *Chelydra serpentina*
- Category: `reptiles` (Reptiles)
- Habitats: `freshwater` (Lakes & rivers), `zoo` (Zoo & pets)
- iNaturalist observations: 126028
- Wikidata: [Q289435](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q289435)
- iNaturalist taxon: [39682](https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/39682)

## Names

- en: Common Snapping Turtle
- de: Schnappschildkröte
- es: Tortuga lagarto norteña
- fr: Tortue serpentine
- nl: Bijtschildpad
- pl: Skorpucha jaszczurowata

## Countries with the most observations

US (88648), CA (31442), CN (16), FR (12), HK (11), IT (7), DE (6), JP (6), MX (4)

## Summary

The common snapping turtle (Chelydra serpentina) is a species of large, freshwater turtles in the family Chelydridae. Its natural range extends from southeastern Canada, southwest to the edge of the Rocky Mountains, as far east as Nova Scotia, and Florida. The present-day C. serpentina population in the Middle Rio Grande suggests that the common snapping turtle has been present in this drainage since at least the 17th century and is likely native. The three species of Chelydra and the larger alligator snapping turtles (genus Macrochelys) are the only extant chelydrids, a family now restricted to the Americas. The…

Text: Wikipedia (en), CC BY-SA 4.0 — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Common_snapping_turtle

## Photo

![Common Snapping Turtle](https://animalchecklist.com/img/animals/common-snapping-turtle/medium.jpg)

Photo: Christina · CC0 · inaturalist — https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/213483284

## Machine access

`GET https://animalchecklist.com/api/v1/animals/common-snapping-turtle?lang=en` — see [openapi.json](https://animalchecklist.com/openapi.json).