Alligator Snapping Turtle

alligator snapping turtle (Macrochelys temminckii)

alligator snapping turtle, (Macrochelys temminckii), species of freshwater turtle in the family Chelydridae. The alligator snapping turtle is the largest species of freshwater turtle in North America and one of the largest turtles in the world. Although native populations are found exclusively in the United States, from Texas east to Georgia and Florida and from Illinois and Kansas south to the Gulf Coast, non-native populations are found in various other states and in South Africa, where it is considered an invasive species. Some researchers, who have examined the turtle’s DNA, suggest that the alligator snapping turtle is actually three separate species—Macrochelys temminckii in the west, M. apalachicolae in the central region, and M. suwanniensis in the Suwannee River drainage system in Florida—but this remains a matter of debate.