Alligator snapping turtle Facts for Kids
Macrochelys temminckii · mak-roh-KEE-lis tem-INK-ee-eye
A heavy freshwater turtle with a rough, ridged shell.
- 🏃 speed: not yet checked
- ⚖️ 154 to 176 lb70 to 80 kg1
- 📏 31 in to 3.3 ft79 cm to 1 m1 long
- 🎂 11 to 45 years11 to 45 years1
- 🍽️ plants and animals
- In danger (Endangered)
An alligator snapping turtle is a heavy freshwater turtle with a rough, ridged shell. It lives in deep water in the southeastern United States.
Alligator snapping turtles live in deep fresh water in the southeastern United States, in big rivers, canals, lakes and swamps. They eat mostly fish, plus shellfish and sometimes small mammals.
The alligator snapping turtle is one of the heaviest freshwater turtles. It lives in the southeastern United States, from northern Florida through the Gulf states into Texas, mostly in deep water such as big rivers, canals, lakes and swamps. It eats mostly fish, plus shellfish and sometimes small mammals. Males can live for decades.
How big is a alligator snapping turtle?
Alligator snapping turtle in numbers
| Length | 31 in to 3.3 ft79 cm to 1 m1the page does not say whether this is the shell or the whole turtle |
|---|---|
| Height at the shoulder | no checked number yet |
| Weight | 154 to 176 lb70 to 80 kg1 |
| Top speed | no checked number yet |
| How long it lives | 11 to 45 years11 to 45 years1males |
| What it eats | mostly fish, plus shellfish and sometimes small mammals |
| Where it lives | deep fresh water in the southeastern United States, such as big rivers, canals, lakes and swamps |
| What kind | Reptiles |
| Is it in danger? | In danger (Endangered)2 |
A number we couldn’t find on a page we trust says so, instead of guessing.
Wow!
- An alligator snapping turtle lives in deep fresh water.
- Most of its food is fish.
- It is one of the heaviest freshwater turtles.
Compare the alligator snapping turtle
Friends and neighbours
American alligator
Green sea turtle
American bullfrogThree questions
Books about the alligator snapping turtle, free at the library
Ask a grown-up to tap the button: it shows where to borrow a book about the alligator snapping turtle for free.
For teachers
Use this animal in class: its facts are on this page, and the cards print from it.
Where these numbers come from
- University of Michigan Museum of Zoology, Animal Diversity Web: Macrochelys temminckii (alligator snapping turtle), checked 10 November 2026.
- Wikidata, from the IUCN Red List, checked 10 November 2026.
- Wikidata, Alligator snapping turtle (Q457872), checked 30 October 2026.