Here's the final render in my Turtle series. It seem appropriate to end in the same duckweed covered pond I started in. The "Common" snappers may look similar to the "Alligator" snapper I started with but they're quite different, especially in size and shell shape. The "Common" snapper is much smaller and has only a center ridge on the shell whereas the "Alligator" can be almost twice the size and has three rows of ridges on the shell. To introduce this turtle, let's start by dismissing urban legends. Snapping turtles are not dangerous unless cornered. The common snapping turtle is noted for its combative disposition when out of the water with its powerful beak-like jaws, and highly mobile head and neck (hence the specific epithet serpentina, meaning "snake-like"). In water, it is likely to flee and hide underwater in sediment. Common snapping turtles are actually "quite docile" animals underwater that prefer to avoid confrontations rather than provoke them. Females, and presumably also males, in more northern populations mature later (at 15–20 years) and at a larger size than in more southern populations (about 12 years). Lifespan in the wild is poorly known, but long-term mark-recapture data from Algonquin Park in Ontario, Canada, suggest a maximum age over 100 years. Their natural range extends from southeastern Canada, southwest to the edge of the Rocky Mountains, as far east as Nova Scotia and Florida. Common habitats are shallow ponds or streams. Some may inhabit brackish environments, such as estuaries. These sources of water tend to have an abundance of aquatic vegetation due to the shallow pools. They are active hunters that use ambush tactics to prey on anything they can swallow. This includes many invertebrates, fish, frogs, reptiles (including snakes and smaller turtles), unwary birds, and small mammals. This species has declined sufficiently due to pressure from collection for the pet trade and habitat degradation. Canada and several U.S. states have enacted or are proposing stricter conservation measures. In Canada, it is listed as "Special Concern" in the Species at Risk Act in 2011 and is a target species for projects that include surveys, identification of major habitats, investigation and mitigation of threats, and education of the public including landowners.