Reproduction and Development
Reproduction
The Snapping Turtle will reach sexual maturity at about 6 years of age, give or take a few years (1). Male turtles have penises, female turtles have ovaries, and both have gonads (2). The Snapping Turtle's courtship ritual consists of the male climbing on to the back of the female and hold on to her shell (2). When holding on to the female, the male might bite the female "on the top of her head which sometimes causes small injuries, but they are not serious and heal soon."(3) A male injects his sperm into the female, which the female can store for years at a time (4).
(1)http://www.wildlifeofct.com/snapping%20turtle.html
(2)http://www.chelydra.org/turtle_basic_anatomy_reproductive_system.html
(3)http://www.chelydra.org/snapping_turtle_reproduction.html
(4) http://www.wildlifeofct.com/snapping%20turtle.html
(1)http://www.wildlifeofct.com/snapping%20turtle.html
(2)http://www.chelydra.org/turtle_basic_anatomy_reproductive_system.html
(3)http://www.chelydra.org/snapping_turtle_reproduction.html
(4) http://www.wildlifeofct.com/snapping%20turtle.html
Development
When a female is ready to lay her eggs, she "digs a flask-shaped nesting cavity, about 4 to 7 inches deep, in sandy soil in a warm sunny spot." (1) The 20-50 eggs she lays will take 9-18 weeks to hatch (1). Also, the gender of the baby turtle will depend on the temperature during incubation (1). Turtles can lay eggs about once a year, and usually in May or June (1). In the wild, Snapping Turtles can live for about 30 years. After the turtle eggs hatch, there is no parental care for the babies. "Adult female turtles return to the water after they have deposited their eggs on land and are not present when the turtles hatch."(2)
(1)http://www.wildlifeofct.com/snapping%20turtle.html
(2)http://www.biokids.umich.edu/critters/Chelydra_serpentina/
(1)http://www.wildlifeofct.com/snapping%20turtle.html
(2)http://www.biokids.umich.edu/critters/Chelydra_serpentina/