Common Snapping Turtle Skull

Description

Common Snapping Turtle Skull measures 118mm or 4.7 in. Common Snapping Turtle Skull is museum quality polyurethane cast. Made in the USA. Chelydra serpentina is the scientific name. Polyurethane cast of an original from a private collection. 2-part skull (separate cranium and jaw). Our precise skull can be used as a teaching tool, museum skull exhibit, home decor skull, or office decor skull.

The Common Snapping Turtle or Chelydra serpentina is noted for its combative disposition when out of the water with its powerful beak-like jaws, and highly mobile head and neck (hence the specific name serpentina, meaning “snake-like”).

In water, they are likely to flee and hide themselves underwater in sediment. Common Snapping Turtles or Chelydra serpentina have a life-history strategy characterized by high and variable mortality of embryos and hatchlings, delayed sexual maturity, extended adult longevity.

Common Snapping Turtles or Chelydra serpentina females, and presumably also males, in more northern populations mature later at 15 to 20 years and at a larger size than in more southern populations about 12 years. Lifespan in the wild is poorly known, but long-term mark-recapture data from Algonquin Park in Ontario, Canada, suggest a maximum age over 100 years.

The Common Snapping Turtle or Chelydra serpentina has a rugged, muscular build with a ridged upper shell, although ridges tend to be more pronounced in younger individuals. The shell length in adulthood is 9.8 to 18.5 in. They usually weigh 9.9 to 35.3 lbs. The species continues to grow throughout life.

Common habitats are shallow ponds or streams. Some may inhabit brackish environments, such as estuaries. Common Snapping Turtles or Chelydra serpentina sometimes bask by floating on the surface with only their carapaces exposed, though in the northern parts of their range, they also readily bask on fallen logs in early spring.

In shallow waters, Common Snapping Turtles or Chelydra serpentina may lie beneath a muddy bottom with only their heads exposed, stretching their long necks to the surface for an occasional breath (their nostrils are positioned on the very tip of the snout, effectively functioning as snorkels).

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