Homer the snapping turtle

Lucie and Dave have had the pleasure of sharing their lives with Homer for the past 8 years, and now would like to share him with you.

Alligator Snapping Turtles (Macroclemys temminckii) - come from the lower states of the USA living in the swamps.

They will sit at the bottom using their tongue (which looks like a worm) as a lure to catch fish. They will also snap at anything that is going past. They can be underwater without breathing for up to an hour. It is believed they live for about 150 years. Their jaws are the second strongest in the animal kingdom at 1500 ppsi, so they will bite your hand off!

Homer is (we think) about 80 years old, and has been in this country for about 12 years.

He weighs 5 stone 10lb/ 37.3 kgs/ 80 lb. His head is 8 inches wide.

You may not always be able to see him as he will sit for a long time in one place.

You can see Homer in action, eating half a chicken in the video below:

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