Editing Common snapping turtle (section)

==Relationship with humans==
===As food===
The common snapping turtle is a traditional ingredient in [[turtle soup]]; consumption in large quantities, however, can become a health concern due to potential concentration of toxic environmental pollutants in the turtle's flesh.<ref name="DEEP-ct.gov">{{citation |title=Common Snapping Turtle: Interesting Facts |url=http://www.ct.gov/deep/cwp/view.asp?a=2723&q=469200 |website=Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, State of Connecticut |publisher=DEEP (ct.gov) |date=8 November 2016 |access-date=7 October 2017 |mode=cs1}}</ref>

===Captivity===
The common snapping turtle is not an ideal pet. Its neck is very flexible, and a wild turtle can bite its handler even if picked up by the sides of its shell. The claws are as sharp as those of [[bears]] and cannot be trimmed as can dog claws. The turtle uses its paws like a bear for hunting and slicing food, while biting it. Despite this, a common snapping turtle cannot use its claws for either attacking (its legs have no speed or strength in "swiping" motions) or eating (no opposable thumbs), but only as aids for digging and gripping. Veterinary care is best left to a reptile specialist. A wild common snapping turtle will make a hissing sound when it is threatened or encountered, but they prefer not to provoke confrontations.<ref>PlusPets Staff. (2020, October 24). ''Snapping Turtles: A Guide to Owning This Difficult Turtle Breed''. PlusPets. http://pluspets.com/snapping-turtles/</ref>

It is a common misconception that common snapping turtles may be safely picked up by the tail with no harm to the animal; in fact, this has a high chance of injuring the turtle, especially the tail itself and the [[vertebra]]l column.<ref name="blog">{{cite web|url=http://blogs.thatpetplace.com/thatreptileblog/2008/06/24/handling-snapping-turtles-chelydra-serpentina-and-other-large-turtles/|title=Handling Snapping Turtles, Chelydra serpentina, and Other Large Turtles|last=Indiviglio|first=Frank|date=2008-06-24|work=That Reptile Blog|publisher=That Pet Place|access-date=2008-07-20}}</ref> Lifting the turtle with the hands is difficult and dangerous. Snappers can stretch their necks back across their own carapace and to their hind feet on either side to bite. When they feel stressed, they release a musky odor from behind their legs.

It may be tempting to rescue a common snapping turtle found on a road by getting it to bite a stick and then dragging it out of immediate danger. This action can, however, severely scrape the legs and underside of the turtle and lead to deadly infections in the wounds. The safest way to pick up a common snapping turtle is by grasping the carapace behind the back legs, being careful to not grasp the tail. There is a large gap behind the back legs that allows for easy grasping of the carapace and keeps hands safe from both the beak and claws of the turtle. It can also be picked up with a shovel, from the back, making sure the shovel is square across the bottom of the shell. The easiest way, though, is with a blanket or tarp, picking up the corners with the turtle in the middle.{{cn|date=May 2022}}

Common snapping turtles are raised on some [[turtle farm]]s in Mainland China.<ref>Fang Anning (方安宁), "[http://www.gui138.cn/xinwen/gbxw/201007/765.html “小庭院”养殖龟鳖大有赚头] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304032241/http://www.gui138.cn/xinwen/gbxw/201007/765.html |date=2016-03-04 }}" (Small-scale turtle farming may be very profitable). ''Zuojiang Daily'' (左江日报) (with photo)</ref>

===In politics===
[[File:Ograbme.jpg|thumb|Political cartoon depicting merchants attempting to dodge the "Ograbme"]]

The common snapping turtle was the central feature of a famous [[United States|American]] [[political cartoon]]. Published in 1808 in protest at the [[Thomas Jefferson|Jeffersonian]] [[Embargo Act of 1807]], the cartoon depicted a common snapping turtle, jaws locked fiercely to an American trader who was attempting to carry a barrel of goods onto a [[United Kingdom|British]] ship. The trader was seen whimsically uttering the words "Oh! this cursed Ograbme" ("[[embargo]]" spelled backwards, and also "O, grab me" as the turtle is doing). This piece is widely considered a pioneering work within the [[genre]] of the modern political cartoon.{{Citation needed|date=February 2010}}

In 2006, the common snapping turtle was declared the [[List of U.S. state reptiles|state reptile]] of [[New York (state)|New York]] by vote of the [[New York Legislature]] after being chosen by the state's public [[elementary school]] children.<ref name="nyt">{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2006/06/23/nyregion/23ladybug.html?_r=1&oref=slogin|title=A Few Things Lawmakers Can Agree On |last=Medina|first=Jennifer|date=2006-06-23|work=N.Y./Region|publisher=New York Times|access-date=2008-07-20}}</ref>

===Reputation===
[[File:Common Snapping Turtle in Minnesota.jpg|thumb|right|The common snapping turtle uses its large claws for digging, not offense – though the claws can become dangerous when handled by humans]]

While it is widely rumored that common snapping turtles can bite off human fingers or toes, and their powerful jaws are more than capable of doing so, no proven cases have ever been presented for this species, as they use their overall size and strength to deter would-be predators.<ref name="Briggs">{{cite web|url=https://www.oriannesociety.org/faces-of-the-forest/snappers-the-myth-vs-the-turtle/|title=Snappers: The myth vs the turtle|author=Kiley Briggs|work=The Orianne Society|date=July 11, 2018|access-date=February 9, 2019}}</ref> Common snapping turtles are "quite docile" animals underwater that prefer to avoid confrontations rather than provoke them.<ref name="Briggs"/>

The ability to bite forcefully is extremely useful for consuming hard-bodied prey items such as mollusks, crustaceans, and turtles along with some plant matter, like nuts and seeds.<ref>LaGrange, S. M., Kessler, E. J., Li, Z., Morrissiey, F., & Merchant, M. (2023). Bite-Force Scaling across Size Classes in the Alligator Snapping Turtle (Macrochelys temminckii) and the Common Snapping Turtle (Chelydra serpentina). Southeastern Naturalist (Steuben, Me.), 22(sp12), 440–456. https://doi.org/10.1656/058.022.0sp1228</ref> In 2023, a study done by Lagrange et al. found that the common snapping turtle (''Chelydra serpentina'') registered between 62 and 564 [[Newton (unit)|Newtons]] of force when it came to jaw strength.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=LaGrange |first1=Seth M. |last2=Kessler |first2=Ethan J. |last3=Li |first3=Zhuang |last4=Morrisiey |first4=Flavio |last5=Merchant |first5=Mark |date=14 June 2023 |title=Bite-Force Scaling across Size Classes in the Alligator Snapping Turtle (Macrochelys temminckii) and the Common Snapping Turtle (Chelydra serpentina) |journal=Southeastern Naturalist |volume=22 |issue=sp12 |doi=10.1656/058.022.0sp1228 |via=BioOne}}</ref> In comparison, the average bite force of a human ([[molars]] area) is between 300 and 700 Newtons.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/kitchener-waterloo/7-things-you-need-to-know-about-snapping-turtles-1.3115546|title=7 things you need to know about snapping turtles|publisher=CBC News|date=June 16, 2015|access-date=February 8, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|title=Evolution of bite performance in turtles|author=A. Herrel, J. C. O'Reilly, A. M. Richmond|s2cid=54067445|journal=Journal of Evolutionary Biology|volume=15|issue=6|pages=1083–1094|year=2002|doi=10.1046/j.1420-9101.2002.00459.x|url=http://doc.rero.ch/record/15512/files/PAL_E2915.pdf }}</ref> Another non-closely related species known as the [[alligator snapping turtle]] has been known to bite off fingers, and at least three documented cases are known.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://archive-srel.uga.edu/outreach/ecoviews/ecoview180624.htm|title=Can a Snapping Turtle bite off a finger?|author=J. Whitfield Gibbons|work=[[University of Georgia]]|date=June 24, 2018|access-date=February 8, 2019|author-link=J. Whitfield Gibbons}}</ref>