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Rare Species Guide
Chelydra serpentina (Linnaeus, 1758) |
Snapping Turtle |
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Basis for Former ListingThe Snapping Turtle (Chelydra serpentina) occurs throughout the eastern United States and southern Canada. It is found in a wide variety of aquatic habitats throughout Minnesota. Despite its widespread occurrence, several factors prompted concern for the Snapping Turtle's status in Minnesota and led to its listing as a special concern species in 1984. The major factor is the unknown and possibly detrimental effects of commercial harvest on local populations. Snapping Turtles are harvested for their meat and used for human consumption. The Minnesota DNR allows licensees to take up to three adults, provided that the carapace length is greater than 30.5 cm (12 in.). Because females are long-lived and reproduce for 5-10 years (sometimes longer) once they obtain a minimum carapace length of 25 cm (10 in.), there is the potential that intense harvesting may significantly affect local breeding populations. Harvest figures are also high in early spring and late autumn when Snapping Turtles are together in communal hibernacula. These areas are susceptible to over-trapping. Basis for DelistingChanges were made in 2004 to commercial turtle harvest rules in order to address some of the concerns related to turtle harvesting and unintentional drowning. Turtle licenses are now restricted to Minnesota residents, the number of traps that can be used is limited, and a moratorium was placed on the sale of new licenses. If a person held a turtle license prior to the 2004 rule change, they were permitted to renew it, and can pass their license down one generation to their children upon approval from the DNR commissioner. Licensees must keep a daily log of the location of traps and the number of turtles they harvest must be submitted monthly during the trapping season, which runs March-November. In light of the 2004 changes made to the commercial turtle harvest rules, listing the Snapping Turtle as a special concern species is no longer necessary. The Snapping Turtle was delisted in 2013. |