Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I was reading an old copy of reptile magazine the other day and there was an article on the worlds biggest snapper. it was an alligator snapper caught in Louisiana and it was 320 pounds and had musket ball and Indian arrow heads in its shell. I can seem to find the copy now that I want to see what date it was. Have any of you ever herded of this?
Also I got my reptile magazine and they had an article on snappers only problem was they called a leucistic common snapper a leucistic alligator snapper. I have sent them an e-mail about this but I did not get a response back yet.

CrazyCody

CrazyCody,

Take another look at the photo. The head of a common snapper wouldn't be that shape. You can also tell it is an alligator snapper by the eyes, it has more of an "eye lash" apperance than a common snapper...next look at the mouth...common snappers lack that large cusp that alligator snappers have...the large beak can cause damage that only a gator snapper can induce. Just minor differences that really stick
out.

I believe I have spoken to John about that turtle in the past...if it is the same animal it is about 90 pounds currently.

Just for kicks I am reposting my snapper pic both of those turtles are common snappers.

-Steve Clark
TurtsAndTorts

And also the eyes of common snappers are on the top of the head. Ally snappers have eyes on the side.
-----
Justin

I had to look at that picture for about an hour after reading the post. i can not beleave i thought that was a common snapper. i have never mistaken one turtle for another. i feel really stupid now but thanks for pointing that out for me. i do not know what i was thinking.

Crazycody

CrazyCody,

Its not hard to slip up once-in-awhile. Trust me, we all make identification mistakes! With snappers its not a big deal...they both bite, so as long as you deal with them all as dangerous you will be fine . I work with some venomous animals, and do some field stuides, where misidentifying a baby northern copperhead as a watersnake can cause some pain!

With any luck they will publish the message that you sent to "Reptiles", and they can correct the ID mistake for others to see. The fact is, a lot of herpers, even experienced ones mess up now and then, but if they can explain the major differences in the two species heads it may really help people learning about the animals.

I keep my snappers side by side in their enclosure. One common snapper, and one alligator snapper. It really makes a neat display when I give presentations. I also frequently show photos of the various sizes, and when possible I show off the different sizes of the common, and alligator snapper in person. It helps show them how gator snapps get more pronounced shell ridges with age, while the common smooths out. They are very neat animals to show off, and if you handle them properly the audiance can learn to respect them much more than they did!

Take it easy,
Steve Clark