Editing Alligator snapping turtle (section)

==Reproduction and lifespan==
Maturity is reached around 12 years of age.<ref name="Nichols"/> Mating takes place yearly, in early spring in the southern part of its geographic range, and in later spring in the northern part. About two months later, the female builds a nest and lays a clutch of 10–50 eggs.<ref name="Animal" /> It was found that some females lay eggs every year and some females lay eggs every other year.<ref name="Dobie1971"/> The sex of the young depends on the temperature at which the eggs are incubated. This is called [[Temperature-dependent sex determination|temperature dependent sex determination]], and it is used by all turtle species to determine sex. For the alligator snapping turtle, higher temperatures produce more males in a clutch.<ref name=":0"/> 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.<ref name="NashvilleZoo"/>

Though its potential lifespan in the wild is unknown, the alligator snapping turtle is believed to be capable of living to 200 years of age, but 80 to 120 is more likely.<ref name="Gibbons1987"/> In captivity, it typically lives between 20 and 70 years.<ref name="WhoZoo"/>