Common snapping turtle
Chelydra serpentina

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Head and Neck:
Large head; upper jaw is somewhat hooked at the front;
eyes open toward the top and side of the head; the neck is long and can be extended rapidly

Body:
Carapace - brown to black in color, relatively flattened and serrated in the rear;three low knobby keels, nearly smooth in large and old adults
Plastron
Light brown, yellowish brown or grey; the small hingeless plastron is loosely attached by ligaments to the carapace at a narrow bridge; cruciform-shaped, resulting in extensive areas of exposed skin

Limbs and tail:
Limbs are muscular and clearly visible; large claws; skin on the undersides of the legs has many small tubercles; long tail with a top ridge of large tubercles

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