Description: THe Suwannee Alligator Snapping Turtle is basically identical to the alligator snapping turtle and is characterized by a large, heavy head, and a long, thick shell with three dorsal ridges of large scales (osteoderms), giving it a primitive appearance reminiscent of some of the plated dinosaurs, most notably Ankylosaurus. It can be immediately distinguished from the common snapping turtle by the three distinct rows of spikes and raised plates on the carapace, whereas the common snapping turtle has a smoother carapace. M. temminckii is a solid gray, brown, black, or olive-green in color, and often covered with algae. It has radiating yellow patterns around the eyes, serving to break up the outline of the eyes to keep the turtle camouflaged. The eyes are also surrounded by a star-shaped arrangement of fleshy, filamentous "eyelashes".

Habitat: It inhabits only riparian habitats such as rivers and their tributaries, but sometimes utilizes backwater swamps and oxbow lakes. Individuals found in inland lakes have likely been introduced. In 2021, an individual was discovered in the Okefenokee Swamp, indicating that a previously-undocumented population of snapping turtles may inhabit the swamp.

Range: This species is only found in the Suwannee River basin, in southern Georgia and northern portions of peninsular Florida; it is allopatric with respect to M. temminckii, which inhabits river basins further to the west.

Found in these States: FL | GA

Diet: It is an opportunistic feeder that is almost entirely carnivorous. It relies on both live food caught by itself and dead organisms which it scavenges. In general, it will eat almost anything it can catch.

Reproduction: See Alligator Snapping Turtle

Status: Due to its slow generation time, it is highly vulnerable to direct stressors such as turtle hunting (illegal in Florida) and indirect stressors such as habitat destruction, which pollutes the water it inhabits. In 2021, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service proposed listing the species under the Endangered Species Act.

Subspecies: None

Taxonomy: Previously this species was included within M. temminckii, which was split by Thomas et al. (2014) into three species based on genetic, morphological, and geographic evidence. Folt and Guyer (2015) argue the evidence presented by Thomas et al. (2014) is not sufficient to justify naming M. apalachicolae as distinct from M. temminckii. They do however support the validity of M. suwanniensis.