SNAPPING TURTLE


Meaning of SNAPPING TURTLE in English

Either of two species (family Chelydridae) of edible, omnivorous, freshwater turtles found in North and Central America.

They are tan to black and have a rough upper shell, a small cross-shaped lower shell, a long tail, and a large head with hooked jaws. Known for their fierceness, they lunge at aggressors and prey and bite them with their powerful jaws. The common snapping turtle ( Chelydra serpentina ) has a shell 8–12 in. (20–30 cm) long and weighs 10–35 lbs (4.5–16 kg). The alligator snapping turtle ( Macroclemys temmincki ), the largest freshwater turtle in the U.S., has a shell 16–28 in. (40–70 cm) long and weighs 40–155 lbs (18–70 kg). It lies quietly on the bottom of slow moving bodies of water, luring fishes by means of a wormlike appendage on the floor of its open mouth.

Snapping turtle ( Chelydra serpentina )

Walter Dawn

Britannica English dictionary.      Английский словарь Британика.