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Alligator Snapping Turtle
Colouration.—Carapace, head and limbs, pale brown, or yellowish. The plastron is of a similar, though paler hue.
Dimensions.—The measurements relate to a specimen captured in the Mississippi River:
Distribution.—Rivers emptying into the Gulf of Mexico, from western Texas to western Florida. The species ranges northward to Missouri. Common in the Mississippi River.
Habits.—This giant among fresh-water reptiles, is but a magnified duplication of the common snapping turtle, both in looks and actions. Its pale brown hues well match the muddy waters it inhabits. With its colours in perfect harmony, it lies motionless on the soft bottom, ready to seize, with a lightning-like dart the unsuspicious fish that comes its way. While thus resting it is able to entice its prey by a remarkable appendage attached to the inside of the lower jaw, close to the region of the tongue. This is a well-developed filament of flesh, white and distinct from the yellowish mouth-parts and resembling a large grub to such a degree of nicety that the popular-minded observer, seeing the object in the reptile's mouth would declare it to be the larva of some insect. More striking, however, is the reptile's power to keep this appendage in motion, giving it the aspect of crawling about in a small, circular course.
Distribution.—Canada to Florida; westward to Texas. Two yellow stripes on side of head; one from snout above eye to the neck; the other from above angle of jaw to the neck.
Distribution.—Georgia and Florida to Texas.
Distribution.—Georgia to Arizona.
Distribution.—Southeastern United States.
Distribution.—Louisana and Texas.
Distribution.—Arkansas to Arizona.
Distribution.—Eastern and Western states.
Distribution.—New Mexico; Arizona.
Distribution.—Mexico generally, well into the northern portion.
Attains a maximum weight of about 140 pounds and a length of shell of about 28 inches.
General structural characters much like the preceding species, but differing as follows:
1. There are no large shields under the tail, but in their place, small, rounded scales.
2. The presence of additional marginal shields (supramarginals).
3. The much higher keels on the carapace.
Length of Carapace . . . . . 25 inches.
Width of Carapace . . . . . 20 inches.
Length of Plastron . . . . . 16 3/4 inches.
Circumference of Head . . . . . 24 1/2 inches.
Length of Tail . . . . . 21 1/2 inches.
Weight . . . . . 115 pounds.
With the mud-coloured shell lying close to the bottom, the jaws thrown open to a great extent, this organ is put in motion. Every other portion of the creature is as motionless as a rock. In this position of rigidity the shell looks like a great, round stone and blotches of fine, waving moss intensify the deception; the big head looks like another stone, beneath which there is a cavern and in this cavern crawls the white grub, to all appearances an object dear to the hearts of finny wanderers. But woe to the luckless fish that swims within reach of those yawning jaws!
The strength of the Alligator Turtle is enormous. The specimen from which the measurements were taken upon being teased with the end of a broomstick, actually severed three inches from the end of this substantial material. A fair-sized shad was given the turtle every three days. Slowly crawling toward the food it would snap off a large section and swallow it with a gulp. The piece taken out of the fish was as sharply defined and quickly removed as if cut with a die. The entire fish was thus consumed, in clean-cut sections.
Captive specimens are shy and feed sparingly unless provided with means to hide. The specimen described was content to hide under a raft of small logs, tied to one corner of the tank and under which it lay for the great part of its time, occasionally protruding the tip of the nose from the water. Among other turtles (Chrysemys) and a number of half-grown alligators it was perfectly friendly, a disposition which the writer can credit to other captive specimens of this turtle and the common snapping turtle as well.
The Genera AROMOCHELYS and CINOSTERNUM, Composed of Small and Thoroughly Aquatic Species, the Majority Inhabiting North America
ALL of the species of the small family Cinosternidae, bear a general resemblance to one another. They are of small size--few attaining a length of five inches. The upper shell is bluntly oval in outline, rounded above, and possesses no trace of the flaring edge, or scolloped border as does the shell of typical pond and river turtles. It might be said that the carapace of these turtles looks like a smooth, flat stone. The under shell--plastron--is a distinguishing character. It is composed of a broad, rigid bridge, and two hinged, movable lobes, that may be drawn up against the carapace--slightly so with Aromochelys, but to such an extent with Cinosternum, that the species of the latter genus have sometimes been called "box turtles," an appellation which rightly belongs, however, to a genus of strictly terrestrial turtles (Cistudo).*