AnimalvsAnimal
2007SnappingTurtle🦎

Photo: Smee · Public domain

SpeciesChelydridae
Reptiles

🦎Common snapping turtle

Chelydra serpentina (Linnaeus, 1758)

Kajmanka dravá (Chelydra serpentina) je vodní želva, která obývá mělká sladkovodní jezera a rybníky v Severní Americe. Výrazně se odlišuje od známých druhů malých želv. Je robustně stavěná, má strach vzbuzující drápy a hákovité čelisti, které jsou tak silné, že mohou prokousnout i lidskou ruku. Kajmanky dosahují celkové délky až 80 cm (krunýř 40 cm) a váhy až 25 kg. V zajetí se dožívají stejně jako v přírodě okolo 30 let (nejdéle žijící zaznamenaný jedinec v zajetí se dožil 47 let).

Text: Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Videos
10
Photos
7
Measurements
8
vs you
≈ 1/6th of your weight
Also called
Snapping Turtle, North American Snapping Turtle
Conservation status
LCLeast concern

IUCN Red List assessment, 2025.

Population trendDecreasing
Key measurements
Body mass
10 kg
Body length
not recorded
Shoulder height
not recorded
Top speed
not recorded
Bite force
not recorded
Maximum lifespan
47 years
All measurements ↓
Facts and figures

Everything we know about the Common snapping turtle

Typical adult figures. Where a value is an estimate rather than a measurement, it says so.

Body mass
10 kgrecord 35 kg · ReptTraits
AnAge
Details ↓

data quality: acceptable

Record: largest individual on record

Source: AnAge · AnAge build 15, 2023-07-03 (HAGR) · CC BY 3.0

Maximum lifespan
47 yearsrecord 50 years · ReptTraits
AnAge
Details ↓

data quality: acceptable

Record: largest individual on record

Source: AnAge · AnAge build 15, 2023-07-03 (HAGR) · CC BY 3.0

Diet
Omnivorous
ReptTraits
Details ↓

Source: ReptTraits · v1.2 (Oskyrko et al. 2024) · CC BY 4.0

Activity cycle
Nocturnal
ReptTraits
Details ↓

Source: ReptTraits · v1.2 (Oskyrko et al. 2024) · CC BY 4.0

Foraging mode
ACT
ReptTraits
Details ↓

Source: ReptTraits · v1.2 (Oskyrko et al. 2024) · CC BY 4.0

Venomous
No
ReptTraits
Details ↓

Source: ReptTraits · v1.2 (Oskyrko et al. 2024) · CC BY 4.0

Snout–vent length
0.5 mmaximum recorded
ReptTraits
Details ↓

Source: ReptTraits · v1.2 (Oskyrko et al. 2024) · CC BY 4.0

Volume l
10 Laverage
Details ↓

Body mass at ~1.0 kg/L, the density of vertebrate tissue.

average = a mean across sexes or species in a group.

Not recorded for Common snapping turtle yet: body length, shoulder height, top speed, bite force.

Where it sits

Family tree

  1. kingdomAnimalia
  2. ›phylumChordata
  3. ›classTestudines
  4. ›familyChelydridae
  5. ›genusChelydra
  6. ›speciesChelydra serpentina
Full lineage
  1. orderTurtles & tortoises · Testudines
  2. superfamilyChelydroidea
  3. familyChelydridae
  4. genusChelydra
All 13 branches ↓
  1. kingdomMetazoa
  2. phylumChordata
  3. subphylumCraniata
  4. subphylumVertebrata
  5. superclassGnathostomata
  6. superclassSarcopterygii
  7. superclassTetrapoda
  8. orderSauria
  9. orderTurtles & tortoises · Testudines
  10. suborderCryptodira
  11. superfamilyChelydroidea
  12. familyChelydridae
  13. genusChelydra
More

More about the Common snapping turtle

In other languages
aligátorteknős (hu), سلحفاة نهاشة شائعة (ar), кайманова костенурка (bg), Tortuga mossegadora (ca), kajmanka dravá (cs), Schnappschildkröte (de) … and 22 more languages
More photos
2007SnappingTurtle2012 Photo Contest Wildlife Category (7944898958)20230613 mamma snapping turtle PD27362
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