Animal
Common snapping turtle
Chelydra serpentina
Also known as: snapping turtle
A large, ancient-looking freshwater turtle with a powerful jaw and saw-toothed tail — the largest turtle native to Staten Island. Common in the borough's freshwater ponds, marshes, and slow streams. Females come ashore in late spring/early summer to lay eggs in sandy or gravelly soil, often along roadsides where they're vulnerable to vehicle strikes.
Scientific
Chelydra serpentina is a heavy-bodied freshwater turtle, 8–35 lbs, with a long tail and saw-toothed marginal scutes. Aquatic ambush predator and opportunistic scavenger: fish, frogs, ducklings, carrion, aquatic plants. Lifespan 30–50+ years in the wild. Females travel substantial overland distances to nest, often crossing roads — a major mortality factor.
On Staten Island
Common across the borough’s freshwater habitats — every park pond and slow stream is likely to hold snappers. Sightings are frequent during the May–July nesting season, when females cross roads to find dry sandy/gravelly soil.
The species is hardier than many native turtles to human-altered conditions and is not currently in conservation concern, though road mortality of nesting females is a significant local pressure.
See also
Auto-generated from this entry’s typed relations: frontmatter, grouped by relation type so the editorial signal isn’t flattened.
- Counterpart to: [[diamondback-terrapin]]
- Member of: [[animal]]
- Contained by: [[staten-island]]
Sources
- [[beacon-ny|New York]] State DEC freshwater-turtle records
- NYC Parks Wildlife Unit observations
Rooted in life.
What links here, and how
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Scientific
counterpart to
- Painted turtle the borough's two most-common freshwater turtles — painted turtles small/basking/visible, snappers large/cryptic/aquatic
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