Do you know about the alligator snapping turtle? It's one of THE coolest creatures in the swamp! Find out why! In this book you will learn a really neat trick unique to the alligator snapping turtle and how they use this trick to catch their food.

This volume synthesizes all that is known about the common snapping turtle to provide an up-to-date and comprehensive resource on the species' evolution, physiology, behavior, and life history. Anthony C. Steyermark, Michael S. Finkler, Ronald J. Brooks, and a team of experts detail the systematics, energetics, growth patterns, sex determination, and population genetics of snapping turtles and devote special attention to the fossil record of the snapping turtle family Chelydridae.

Despite their ubiquity in some areas of the natural world, snapping turtles are somewhat rare in captive collections. This is not surprising, given that snapping turtles grow to be quite large and their dispositions often range from irritable to overtly hostile; a momentary lapse in concentration can have disastrous consequences. However, while snapping turtles are wholly inappropriate for beginning turtle keepers and those without the means to provide spacious accommodations, experienced turtle keepers often find that these incredible animals make rewarding pets, and are well worth the resources they require. As when caring for any animal as a pet, keepers must learn as much as possible about the biology, behavior and ecology of the species, in order to provide them the highest quality of life possible

From the hefty alligator snapping turtle—the largest freshwater turtle in North America and the only turtle in the world with a predatory lure in its mouth—to the wood turtle, which uses “worm stomping” to catch earthworms, to the lovely ornate box turtle, which closes its shell completely for self-defense, the slow-but-sure turtle is an intriguing reptile. Terry VanDeWalle provides a complete description of each species, both male and female, along with distinguishing characteristics for fourteen subspecies, information about range and habitat, and natural history notes about behavior, hibernation, diet, and nesting. Two panels devoted to hatchlings provide short descriptions of the young of each species as well as photographs of some commonly seen young turtles.

"Simple text and full-color photography introduce beginning readers to common snapping turtles. Developed by literacy experts for students in kindergarten through third grade"--