Raymond L. Ditmars, New York Zoological Society. 
ALLIGATOR SNAPPING TURTLE (Macrochelys temminckii). Length: 3 feet. 
Range: Mississippi River region and southeastern United States. 
tail is used to help support its great bulk. Because of its ponderous weight, 
the alligator snapper moves about slowly. 
During the summer months, the female digs a hole in a sloping sand 
bank near the water. Here it deposits from twenty to forty eggs, each the 
size of a golf ball. 
The alligator snapper is hunted by the inhabitants of the Mississippi 
region, who relish its flesh. When it is captured alive, it seems to be ex¬ 
tremely moody and will eat only if provided with a hiding place where it 
can dine in solitude. 
One member of this species lived in captivity for forty-three years. 
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