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Common Snapping Turtle vs. Ornate Box Turtle

The shell pattern: Common Snapping Turtle — plain, no pattern; Ornate Box Turtle — yellow lines fanning out from the centre of each plate. The head marks: Common Snapping Turtle — plain; Ornate Box Turtle — yellow or orange spots. The shell height: Common Snapping Turtle — low and fairly flat; Ornate Box Turtle — high and domed, like a helmet. The ridge on the shell: Common Snapping Turtle — three low ridges running lengthwise or no ridge — smooth; Ornate Box Turtle — no ridge — smooth (these overlap, so it only helps).

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Common Snapping Turtle

Chelydra serpentina

Ornate Box Turtle

Terrapene ornata
Common Snapping Turtle vs. Ornate 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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