128 THE AMERICAN MUSEUM JOURNAL 
the reptile’s size the plastron is very small and provides little or 
no protection for the limbs in time of danger. In color the 
Snapping Turtle is dark brown, with no markings. Adult 
specimens attain a length of two feet and a weight of from 
thirty-five to forty pounds. The carapace of old specimens is 
often covered with moss. 
Slow-running muddy streams and large ponds are the lurking 
places of these reptiles, which are exceedingly voracious. Lying 
partly hidden in the mud, they await the approach of fish or 
even young water fowl. Possessed of a pugnacious disposition, 
a large specimen might well be rated as dangerous. The hooked 
jaws are capable of inflicting deep wounds, and are, moreover, 
employed with energy when the reptile is annoyed. When of 
medium size, the species is said to be edible. The eggs are 
deposited in June, to the number of from two to four dozen; 
they are perfectly spherical and possess a hard shell. 
Range: Canada and the United States east of the Rocky 
Mountains; southward to Ecuador. 
Local distribution: General and abundant. 
FIG. 31. MUD TURTLE 
