{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "Taxon",
  "slug": "alligator-snapping-turtle",
  "name": "Alligator Snapping Turtle",
  "scientificName": "Macrochelys temminckii",
  "category": "Reptile",
  "summary": "The alligator snapping turtle (Macrochelys temminckii) is North America's heaviest freshwater turtle, a prehistoric-looking ambush predator that lures fish within striking range using a worm-like appendage on its tongue. Adults typically weigh 45–80 kg (100–175 lb), grow shells up to 80 cm long, and may live 70 years or more.",
  "conservationStatus": "Vulnerable",
  "taxonomy": {
    "kingdom": "Animalia",
    "phylum": "Chordata",
    "class": "Reptilia",
    "order": "Testudines",
    "family": "Chelydridae",
    "genus": "Macrochelys"
  },
  "stats": {
    "weightKg": 80,
    "lengthM": 0.8,
    "topSpeedKmh": 4,
    "lifespanYears": 70
  },
  "facts": [
    {
      "label": "Scientific name",
      "value": "Macrochelys temminckii"
    },
    {
      "label": "Diet",
      "value": "Fish, molluscs, crayfish, amphibians, snakes, and carrion — anything it can catch"
    },
    {
      "label": "Habitat",
      "value": "Deep, slow rivers, bayous, and lakes of the south-central United States"
    },
    {
      "label": "Lifespan",
      "value": "Commonly 50–80 years; possibly a century or more"
    },
    {
      "label": "Weight",
      "value": "Typically 45–80 kg (100–175 lb); exceptional males exceed 100 kg"
    },
    {
      "label": "Top speed",
      "value": "A slow, deliberate walker — but its strike takes a fraction of a second"
    },
    {
      "label": "Conservation status",
      "value": "Vulnerable (IUCN)"
    }
  ],
  "range": {
    "nativeRange": "Rivers, bayous, and lakes draining to the Gulf of Mexico, from the Florida Panhandle to East Texas and up the Mississippi basin.",
    "continents": [
      "North America"
    ]
  },
  "sources": [],
  "lastReviewed": "2026-07-16",
  "canonicalUrl": "https://globalanimalguide.org/animals/alligator-snapping-turtle/",
  "license": {
    "name": "CC BY-NC 4.0",
    "url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/",
    "attribution": "Global Animal Guide — https://globalanimalguide.org/animals/alligator-snapping-turtle/",
    "note": "Free to reuse for non-commercial purposes with attribution and a link back to the canonical page."
  }
}