Reproductive Structures ~
Both Female and Male Snapping turtles have kidneys, a bladder, and Cloaca. The difference with males is they have Testes, and a penis. Females have Ovaries, an oviduct, and urinary bladder (this helps females cause it stores water so when they are digging to make their nest they use this water to make the ground soften up).
Snapping turtles reach their sexual maturation when shell grows up to around 8 inches, which can be from 10 to 50 years. The process in which snapping turtles mate is, the male will climb on top of the female and grab onto her to keep balance and then they insert their penis into the female. Then they release their sperm into the female. And after this, fertilization occurs where the egg and sperm link up. Males have a single set of chromosomes and females have two. Weird actions that these turtles tend to do? are things like biting the top of their mates' head and hurt them with leaving a scar and having to heal over time. Also, Females like to get feisty and act like a male by climbing on top and biting the male when they are in their sexual moon.
Snapping turtles reach their sexual maturation when shell grows up to around 8 inches, which can be from 10 to 50 years. The process in which snapping turtles mate is, the male will climb on top of the female and grab onto her to keep balance and then they insert their penis into the female. Then they release their sperm into the female. And after this, fertilization occurs where the egg and sperm link up. Males have a single set of chromosomes and females have two. Weird actions that these turtles tend to do? are things like biting the top of their mates' head and hurt them with leaving a scar and having to heal over time. Also, Females like to get feisty and act like a male by climbing on top and biting the male when they are in their sexual moon.
Turtles mating:
Development ~
Duration of development: 2 weeks to a month until born start off as hatch-lings, take up to a decade to become juveniles, and then become sub-adults into full adults which is 10-50 years.
Stages of development:
The typical number of offspring is 83 eggs, and they do not show parental care. The mother lays her eggs and is very protective of them during nesting. But once the eggs hatch, the baby turtles are on their own for the rest of their life.