Editing Alligator snapping turtle (section)

{{Short description|Species of turtle}}
{{Use American English|date=February 2023}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=February 2023}}
{{Speciesbox
| image = Alligator snapping turtle.jpg
| status = EN
| status_system = IUCN3.1
| status_ref = <ref name=IUCN>{{cite iucn |author=Carr, J.L. |author2=Riedle, D.J. |author3=Munscher, E. |author4=Pearson, L.S. |author5=Kessler, E.J. |author6=Dreslik, M.J. |year=2025 |title=''Macrochelys temminckii'' |page=e.T232775771A507158 |doi= |access-date=27 March 2025}}</ref>
| status2 = CITES_A2 
| status2_system = CITES 
| status2_ref = <ref name="CITES"/>
| genus = Macrochelys
| species = temminckii
| authority = ([[Gerald Troost|Troost]], 1835)<ref name="Rhodin92"/>
| synonyms = 
{{collapsible list|bullets=true
 | ''Testudo planitia''<br /><small>[[Johann Friedrich Gmelin|Gmelin]], 1789</small><br/>(''[[nomen suppressum]]'')
 | ''Chersine planitia''<br /><small>— [[Blasius Merrem|Merrem]], 1820</small>
 | ''Chelonura temminckii''<br /><small>[[Gerald Troost|Troost]] in [[Richard Harlan|Harlan]], 1835</small><br/>(''[[nomen conservandum]]'')
 | ''Emysaurus temminckii''<br /><small>— [[André Marie Constant Duméril|A.M.C Duméril]] and [[Gabriel Bibron|Bibron]] in A.M.C. Duméril & [[Auguste Duméril|A.H.A. Duméril]], 1851</small>
 | ''Macroclemys temminckii''<br /><small>— Gray, 1846</small>
 | ''Cheldyra temminckii''<br /><small>— [[Louis Agassiz|Agassiz]], 1857</small>
 | ''Gypochelys temminckii''<br /><small>— Agassiz, 1857</small>
 | ''Macroclemmys temminckii''<br /><small>— [[Alexander Strauch (naturalist)|Strauch]], 1862</small>
 | ''Macroclemys temmincki''<br /><small>— [[Peter Pritchard|Pritchard]], 1967</small>
}}
| synonyms_ref = <ref name="Fritz172"/>
}}

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.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Adams |first=Connor S. |last2=Gartenstein |first2=Sophia |last3=Pierce |first3=Josh B. |last4=Glasscock |first4=Jessica L. |last5=Schalk |first5=Christopher M. |date=2024-06-01 |title=MOVEMENT PATTERNS, HOME RANGE, AND MICROHABITAT USE OF ALLIGATOR SNAPPING TURTLES ( MACROCHELYS TEMMINCKII ) IN A SMALL EAST TEXAS STREAM SYSTEM |url=https://meridian.allenpress.com/tjs/article/76/1/Article%201/501092/MOVEMENT-PATTERNS-HOME-RANGE-AND-MICROHABITAT-USE |journal=The Texas Journal of Science |language=en |volume=76 |issue=1 |doi=10.32011/txjsci_76_1_Article1 |issn=0040-4403|doi-access=free }}</ref> The species is [[Endemism|endemic]] to freshwater [[habitat]]s in the [[United States]]. ''M. temminckii'' is one of the heaviest living freshwater [[turtles]] in the world.<ref name=Carwardine2008/> It is often associated with, but not closely related to, the [[common snapping turtle]], which is in the genus ''[[Chelydra]]''. The [[Specific name (zoology)|specific epithet]] ''temminckii'' is in honor of Dutch [[zoology|zoologist]] [[Coenraad Jacob Temminck]].<ref name=Beltz2006/><ref name="Grayson2011"/>