where do alligator snapping turtles lay their eggs
Alligator snapping turtle Maturity is reached around 12 years of age.[25] Mating takes place yearly, in early spring in the southern part of their total range, and later spring in the north. The female builds a nest and lays a clutch of 10â€“50 eggs[14] about two months later. The sex of the young depends on the temperature at which the eggs are incubated. Nests are typically excavated at least 50 yards from the water's edge to prevent them from being flooded and drowned. Incubation takes from 100 to 140 days, and hatchlings emerge in the early fall.[26]