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Common Snapping Turtle vs. Common Box Turtle

The shell pattern: Common Snapping Turtle — plain, no pattern; Common Box Turtle — irregular yellow or orange blotches. The underside: Common Snapping Turtle — small, cross-shaped, lots of skin showing; Common Box Turtle — hinged across the middle — it can close up. The shell height: Common Snapping Turtle — low and fairly flat; Common Box Turtle — high and domed, like a helmet. The head marks: Common Snapping Turtle — plain; Common Box Turtle — yellow or orange spots or plain (these overlap, so it only helps).

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Common Snapping Turtle

Chelydra serpentina

Common Box Turtle

Terrapene carolina
Common Snapping Turtle vs. Common Box Turtle: comparison sheet with the differences marked

Photographs via iNaturalist under Creative Commons licences; the photographers are credited on the sheet.

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