''Chelydra'' is one of the two

extant Extant or Least-concern species, least concern is the opposite of the word extinct. It may refer to: * Extant hereditary titles * Extant literature, surviving literature, such as ''Beowulf'', the oldest extant manuscript written in English * Exta ...

genera Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family as used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In binomial nomenclature, the genus name forms the first part of the binomial s ...

of the snapping turtle family,

Chelydridae The Chelydridae is a family of turtles that has seven extinct and two extant genera. The extant genera are the snapping turtles, ''Chelydra'' and '' Macrochelys''. Both are endemic to the Western Hemisphere. The extinct genera are '' Acherontemys ...

, the other being ''

Macrochelys ''Macrochelys'' is a genus of very large freshwater turtles in the family Chelydridae, native to the Southeastern and Midwestern United States. Only a single extant species was recognized until 2014, when a study divided it into two or possibly t ...

'', the much larger

alligator snapping turtle The alligator snapping turtle (''Macrochelys temminckii'') is a large species of turtle in the Family (biology), family Chelydridae. They are the largest freshwater turtle in North America. The species is Endemism, endemic to freshwater habitat ...

. The snapping turtles are native to the Americas, with ''Chelydra'' having three

species A species () is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. It is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), ...

, one in

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere, Northern and Western Hemisphere, Western hemispheres. North America is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South Ameri ...

and two in

Central America Central America is a subregion of North America. Its political boundaries are defined as bordering Mexico to the north, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean to the east, and the Pacific Ocean to the southwest. Central America is usually ...

, one of which is also found in northwestern

South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a considerably smaller portion in the Northern Hemisphere. It can also be described as the southern Subregion#Americas, subregion o ...

Species

The genus ''Chelydra'' has the following species: * ''

Chelydra acutirostris The South American snapping turtle (''Chelydra acutirostris'') is a species of turtle in the family Chelydridae. This species, which is endemic to Central and northwestern South America, was previously considered a subspecies of ''Chelydra serp ...

'' ( W. Peters, 1862) –

South American snapping turtle The South American snapping turtle (''Chelydra acutirostris'') is a species of turtle in the family Chelydridae. This species, which is endemic to Central and northwestern South America, was previously considered a subspecies of ''Chelydra serp ...

* ''

Chelydra rossignonii The Central American snapping turtle (''Chelydra rossignonii''), also known commonly as the Mexican snapping turtle and the Yucatán snapping turtle, is a species of turtle in the family Chelydridae. The species is endemic to Central America and ...

'' ( Bocourt, 1868) –

Central American snapping turtle The Central American snapping turtle (''Chelydra rossignonii''), also known commonly as the Mexican snapping turtle and the Yucatán snapping turtle, is a species of turtle in the family Chelydridae. The species is endemic to Central America and ...

* ''

Chelydra serpentina The common snapping turtle (''Chelydra serpentina'') is a species of large freshwater turtle in the Family (biology), family Chelydridae. Its natural range extends from southeastern Canada, southwest to the edge of the Rocky Mountains, as far eas ...

'' (

Linnaeus Carl Linnaeus (23 May 1707 – 10 January 1778), also known after ennoblement in 1761 as Carl von Linné,#Blunt, Blunt (2004), p. 171. was a Swedish biologist and physician who formalised binomial nomenclature, the modern system of naming o ...

1758 Events January–March * January 1 – Swedish biologist Carl Linnaeus (Carl von Linné) publishes in Stockholm the first volume (''Animalia'') of the 10th edition of ''Systema Naturae'', the starting point of modern zoologic ...

) –

common snapping turtle The common snapping turtle (''Chelydra serpentina'') is a species of large freshwater turtle in the Family (biology), family Chelydridae. Its natural range extends from southeastern Canada, southwest to the edge of the Rocky Mountains, as far eas ...

(North America) * ''

Chelydra floridana ''Chelydra'' is one of the two extant genera of the snapping turtle family, Chelydridae, the other being ''Macrochelys'', the much larger alligator snapping turtle. The snapping turtles are native to the Americas, with ''Chelydra'' having three ...

''† * ''

Chelydra laticarinata ''Chelydra'' is one of the two extant genera of the snapping turtle family, Chelydridae, the other being ''Macrochelys'', the much larger alligator snapping turtle. The snapping turtles are native to the Americas, with ''Chelydra'' having three ...

''† * ''

Chelydra sculpta ''Chelydra'' is one of the two extant genera of the snapping turtle family, Chelydridae, the other being ''Macrochelys'', the much larger alligator snapping turtle. The snapping turtles are native to the Americas, with ''Chelydra'' having three ...

''†

The three extant ''Chelydra'' species were once all considered to be several subspecies of ''Chelydra serpentina'', along with a fourth subspecies in Florida, ''Chelydra serpentina osceola''. ''C. s. osceola'' is now considered to be synonymous with ''C. serpentina.''

References

{{Authority control Turtle genera Taxa named by August Friedrich Schweigger