I'm Kayori Peterson and today we're showing you the difference between snapping turtles and alligator snapping turtles. Dragon tail. I often wonder if there is a predator in a wetland ecosystem more perfectly designed than the snapping turtle. Try to imagine yourself as a fish swimming in the morning. And on every lily pad you turn, there may be a pair of bone-crushing jaws waiting to meet you. Biting turtles rule their food chain and America's wetlands are their kingdom. There are two very different types of snapping turtles . They have many species in their respective genus. In simple terms, we are talking in general about the common snapping turtle which grows to an average weight of 30 pounds and is native to almost the entire eastern United States , parts of Mexico and Central America. [Music] Then there are the larger alligator snapping turtles, which average closer to 70 pounds. An endangered species whose range has been reduced to the southeastern United States. These reptiles are truly ancient and today we are lucky enough to have both species. So we can give you a close look at their clear differences. This is Adam Remedis, a true turtle man from Luisiana. And what we have here are two different dragons. As you know, I'm from Ohio. I usually catch these ones, the common snapping turtle or what I usually call the mud dragon. Well, what Adam usually handles is what they usually call loger hat, crocodile turtle. So, you said this is the average size of the common snapping turtles you get here, right? Yes, that's the average size. To me this is a small snapping turtle . I know many of you have seen our video about snapping turtles and said, "Wow, these alligator snapping turtles look so calm." Well, once you take the alligator snapping turtle out of the water, hold it gently, put it on your knee and they will calm down. Is that what you're experiencing, Adam? Almost all of them after being arrested, they will think, "Okay, the more I fight, the more energy I waste." The common snapping turtle is a much more aggressive species than the alligator turtle. Guess if he will attack? Huh, you see how fast his head attacks. Well, if it's a crocodile turtle, I'll put you away for a while. Never sticking his head out. You see him open his mouth wide and say, "Please put your hand near my big jaw ." But he didn't, he wouldn't attack. You see, I can get my hand close to his face. I don't recommend you try this at home, with any of these species. But what I want to prove is that common snapping turtles are much more aggressive than alligator snapping turtles. One major difference between all snapping turtles that sets them apart from other turtle species is that they cannot tuck their limbs into their shells. You see how small the plastron is on common snapping turtles and alligator snapping turtles. They have all these exposed muscles . And that's why they developed this amazing defensive technique. And you see these two turtles open their mouths. Now both of them are ready to bite if we bring our fingers close. But look at the bite range. In alligator snapping turtles compared to snapping turtles, there is a big difference there. Alligator snapping turtles hunt by lying on the bottom of slow-flowing rivers and streams with their small, worm-like appendages. You see the base of his mouth looks like a worm. That's how these turtles hunt because they are ambush predators. Common snapping turtles are nomadic predators meaning they will move through the waters in search of their prey, hunting it down before they catch it, kill it, and eat it. Well, the carapace is the top part of the shell. You see the common snapping turtle has a smoother appearance compared to the spiky appearance of the alligator snapping turtle. Common biting turtles usually inhabit ponds like the one you see behind us. And alligator snapping turtles are usually found in slow-flowing rivers. The common snapping turtle has large, pointed osteoderms on its tail. Osteoderms are simply pieces of bone covered by scales. You see these are like the scales on a dragon's tail and the osteoderms on a crocodile snapping turtle are much smaller. And as this turtle grows and its tail enlarges, its osteoderms actually shrink, which is the opposite of a typical snapping turtle. As common snapping turtles continue to grow, their tails become fatter and their osteoderms become more prominent. Well, now look at the nose of the common snapping turtle. His nose is short and blunt. While the alligator snapping turtle's nose is much longer. All they need to do is stick their heads out of the water. Their bodies remained completely submerged. They can use those little eyes as periscopes to look around. Inhaling air and then disappearing back into the murky water. Wow, this is cool. Hope you guys enjoy it. Got a chance to see common snapping turtles instead of alligator snapping turtles. Adam, thank you for bringing them closer to us. We return them to the wild. Then we'll look for monsters, right? Yes that's right. Okay, tonight we go to the river to look for dragons. Snapping turtles have been on the planet since the end of the Keta Seuss period, almost 70 million years ago in the fossil record. Regardless of whether you consider them the perfect aquatic predators or not, I think we can all agree that these large turtles have been around since prehistoric times. Yeah.