The alligator snapping turtle looks as though it could have been created for a Sci-Fi/Dinosaur crossover film or conjured from the imagination of a child.
The troughs and pointed peaks of the shell look like armour (or a burnt meringue), while the long claws and scaled, studded tail would befit a dragon.
While at rest, the head is tucked into the rolls of the neck, but this turtle has surprising flexibility and can stretch forwards and sideways to snap shut its mouth on prey. The fearsome hooked jaw crushes with devastating power to bite through bone, something a 15 year-old American boy found to his cost in 2016, losing a finger and facing serious pathogenic infection.
Found in the south-eastern United States, the alligator snapping turtle is the largest freshwater turtle species in North America. The carapace (the upper, dorsal part of the shell) may be more than 80cm long while the whole body weight can exceed 130kg.
They are opportunistic feeders, happy to scavenge, but also content to lie quietly, waiting for food to present itself as it does a spot of fishing.
The inside of the mouth and throat matches the dark mottled camouflage of the outer body, aside from a small pink appendage on the tip of the tongue.
The turtle waits motionless, with its mouth open, and wiggles the appendage to imitate a worm. Unsuspecting fish are lured in to investigate, but swiftly become meals themselves rather than find a meal of their own.
Alligator snapping turtles are long-lived, often reaching 45 years of age in the wild and capable of living for over 100 years. This means they are slow to mature, often not breeding until they are 12 years old, and over-hunting and habitat change have led to a steep decline in population.
Conservation efforts are essential to ensure the future of this spectacular, prehistoric-looking reptile.
This article by Kevin Parr was first published by Discover Wildlife on 23 May 2026. Lead Image: Roberto Torres Gonzalez / Getty Images.
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