Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi all

A good friend of mine is currently preparing a article on record sized snapper specimens and therefore would need your help, everyone supporting this article will receive a free copy and will, of course, be credited. So, I'am searching for your records on all 4 Chelydra species/subspecies if possible with a nice little photo or two The specimen sizes (SCL) should be:
for Chelydra serpentina serpentina: above 18.5" = 47 cm
for Chelydra serpentina osceola: above 16.5" = 42cm
for Chelydra (serpentina) acutirostris: above 15" = 38cm
for Chelydra (serpentina) rossignonii: above 15" = 38cm

Hope you can help

Best regards

Tom

Many years ago...about 1992, we collected two very huge common snapping turtles (Chelydra serpentina serpentina) The carapace length was around 19 inches, we took many measurements. These turtles must've been very old, and ruled the river where they were located. Being kids at the time, we hauled these turtles up into the neighborhood to scare the younger kids. By the time we were done, it was dark, and we decided to keep the turtles in my basement until the next day, and then release them.
I put them in a back storage room and closed the doors. A few hours later, I went down to check on them and one of the giants was gone! We looked all over but no luck. As I sat down on my couch, I looked out the window and there was the turtle in the middle of the street! This turtle pushed the door open, climbed the steps, and pushed open the metal basement doors by itself! I'll never forget it. The next day we released the turtles, and over the years we encountered them many times. In 1995, one of these giants was found dead on a sand bar in the river it called home for many years. It apparantly died of old age. The other giant was never seen again.
Unfortunately, we never photographed the turtles, and I always think about it. But, there are giants out there, because i've seen them.
-Mike

Hi Mike

Thanks for the info, did you take any exact measurments on them? I currently have records of 4 19 inchers, largest measuring in @ 19.6 inch, which is the current record specimen (old record 19.5 = Minessota Fats, 1987)

The largest turtle was 19", almost exactly (carapace length). The other was a bit smaller, but I can only remember that one measurement.
-Mike

yeah in the mid eighties (when I was a kid...old man that i am) we found two (C s serpentina )that were measured near 20 inches (and we were careful not to include the curve of the carapace) but like the above, i of course had no camera. This was in warren County, New York (which is famous for having large populations of turtles for some unknown reason and for having isolated populations of several species including the bog, the eastern spiney softshell and the common map turtle) I have since relayed these stories and the skeptics, of course, abound and people laugh at me. I'm sure there are big ones out there yet to be verified. I hope your friend's study confirms this.

Yeah, I rarely talk of my experiences with the giant snappers. Most folks laugh, or come up with their own fabulous stories of "barrel sized killer snapper turtles who eat children and dogs". My turtles were located in the rooster river system in Fairfield/bridgeport, Connecticut.
-Mike

yeah I am in warren county and my teacher has a 18-19 inch shell of a common snapping turtle he had raised since it was a baby when he was a kid.

Sounds good, could you actualy get the exact SCL Measurement of the Carapace and maybe a photo? Would be superb.

Yeah as soon as I can get ahold of somebody whohas a camera I will take some pics this tues when I go back to school and see my teacher.Second how would I paste pics if/when I get to borrow the camera.

You can email them directly to me if you wish -> bourreti@yahoo.com

they were just under 19 inches not just under 20. i was thinking about the previous post. but still most people don't believe they were that big.

as I said, there are 2 verified pictured specimens of more than 19.5inch. There is a tale of a 20incher which lived in the bronx zoo for a winter, but nobody seems to be able to verify this (bronx zoo didn't reply to the emails as well).... And there is the 22incher from anuraman in the old forum section, sadly without any sizecomparison possibilities, nore any info if he took scl or over carapace measurment...