FAMILY: Chelydridae CLASS: Reptilia ORDER: Chelonia size: 38-80 cm. (15-31 1/2 in.) distribution: Iowa and southwestern Kentucky in the northern Mississippi Valley and south to southwest Georgia, northern Florida and west to eastern Texas. habitat: Large rivers, lakes, and oxbows of the southeastern coastal plain and Mississippi River drainages. diet: snails, crayfish and other invertebrates, fish, water birds, small mammals, and aquatic reptiles. The Alligator Snapping Turtle is a giant among freshwater turtles. It is the largest fresh-water turtle in North America and one of the largest in the world. one specimen weighed in at an awesome 316 pounds! To catch a fish dinner, the Alligator Snapping Turtle uses its own fishing lure. The turtle has a pink worm-like lure at the end of its tongue which it can wiggle. When fishing, the turtle settles on the bottom of its aquatic abode. The rough plates of the snapping turtle shell are often covered with algae, and it blends in with the river bottom. It opens its cavernous mouth, wriggles its lure, and waits. Soon a small fish rushes in to grab the "worm" and the turtle's jaws snap shut like a trap. Alligator Snapping Turtles can stay under water for a long time. The snapping turtle can hold its breath for a long time. It can extend its time underwater by absorbing dissolved oxygen through the lining of its throat and cloaca. The Alligator Snapping Turtle rarely leaves the water except to lay its eggs. The female lays from 6 to nearly 50 round eggs, each the size of a ping-pong ball. They take 3 to 4 months to hatch. Larger females lay more eggs than smaller females.