Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hey,
I've been catching snappers all my life but today I came by a strange looking one It was pure black except for some white on its underside. The closest snapper i've ever found to this was dark grey or dark brown , but usually I just find olive green, light grey of light brown with lots of white. Anyways has anybody found a snapper almost all black?? If so, if you have pics, post them please.

Also my friend found a dark brown one with orange/red neck ...strange er??

Thanks
Jay

N/p

Common snappers range in color from horn colored to almost black. They can also be reddish or orange tinted. I saw a study somewhere that suggests they gradually change color to match their habitat. So a dark muddy or sandy habitat would produce a dark individual. Of course, if the turtle re-locates, which snappers often do, they would stand out against a new background. Your turtle may be melanistic, or it may just be a dark colored individual.
-Mike