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Macrochelys temminckii (Harlan, 1835) - Western Alligator Snapping Turtle

Maps

Locality Map

Locality map for Macrochelys temminckii (Western Alligator Snapping Turtle)
Locality map for Macrochelys temminckii (Western Alligator Snapping Turtle).
Map created 15 April 2026.

County Map

County map for Macrochelys temminckii (Western Alligator Snapping Turtle)
County map for Macrochelys temminckii (Western Alligator Snapping Turtle).
Map created 15 April 2026.

Historical Locality Map

Historical locality map for Macrochelys temminckii (Western Alligator Snapping Turtle)
Historical locality map for Macrochelys temminckii (Western Alligator Snapping Turtle). Black circles ( ) represent records after 1986, blue squares ( ) represent records between 1966 and 1986, orange triangles ( ) represent records prior to 1966. Note that more recent records might conceal underlying older records.
Map created 15 April 2026.

Historical County Map

Historical county map for Macrochelys temminckii (Western Alligator Snapping Turtle)
Historical county map for Macrochelys temminckii (Western Alligator Snapping Turtle). Black circles ( ) represent records after 1986, blue squares ( ) represent records between 1966 and 1986, orange triangles ( ) represent records prior to 1966. Note that only the most recent county record for each county is shown.
Map created 15 April 2026.

Ecological Drainage Locality Map

Ecological Drainage Units map for Macrochelys temminckii (Western Alligator Snapping Turtle)
Ecological Drainage Units locality map for Macrochelys temminckii (Western Alligator Snapping Turtle).
Map created 15 April 2026.

Natural Divisions Locality Map

Natural Divisions locality map for Macrochelys temminckii (Western Alligator Snapping Turtle)
Natural Divisions and Sections locality map for Macrochelys temminckii (Western Alligator Snapping Turtle).
Map created 15 April 2026.

Major Watersheds Locality Map

Major watersheds map for Macrochelys temminckii (Western Alligator Snapping Turtle)
Major Watersheds locality map for Macrochelys temminckii (Western Alligator Snapping Turtle).
Map created 15 April 2026.

Level I Ecoregion Locality Map

Level I Ecoregions map for Macrochelys temminckii (Western Alligator Snapping Turtle)
Level I Ecoregion locality map for Macrochelys temminckii (Western Alligator Snapping Turtle).
Map created 15 April 2026.

Level II Ecoregion Locality Map

Level II Ecoregions map for Macrochelys temminckii (Western Alligator Snapping Turtle)
Level II Ecoregion locality map for Macrochelys temminckii (Western Alligator Snapping Turtle).
Map created 15 April 2026.

Level III Ecoregion Locality Map

Level III Ecoregions map for Macrochelys temminckii (Western Alligator Snapping Turtle)
Level III Ecoregion locality map for Macrochelys temminckii (Western Alligator Snapping Turtle).
Map created 15 April 2026.

Level IV Ecoregion Locality Map

Level IV Ecoregions map for Macrochelys temminckii (Western Alligator Snapping Turtle)
Level IV Ecoregion locality map for Macrochelys temminckii (Western Alligator Snapping Turtle).
Map created 15 April 2026.

Native Status

Macrochelys temminckii (Western Alligator Snapping Turtle) is native to Missouri.

Collection Summary

Macrochelys temminckii (Western Alligator Snapping Turtle) has a total of 36 valid, non-duplicated collections representing 20 counties and 30 localities. There are a total of 28 collectors and 22 collection dates for the species. This results in a total of 22 expeditions for the species, a measure of unique date / collector(s) combinations. The earliest collection year for the species in Missouri is 1891 and its most recent collection year is 2024. The earliest and latest collection dates (independent of earliest and most recent collection years) are April 1 and October 13, respectively. If you have a new record to report, read the New Records section of the FAQ.

Collection Summary by County

Collection summary for Macrochelys temminckii (Western Alligator Snapping Turtle) by county. Some values are unavailable since some records are represented solely by historical literature reports, which sometimes lack complete collecting data. Click on a county name to view more information about that county. Click on column headings to sort by that column.
County Localities Collections Collectors Dates Expeditions Earliest Year Latest Year
Bollinger 1 1 2 1 1 2002 2002
Butler 2 2 2 2 2 1961 1961
Cape Girardeau 1 1 1 1 1 2016 2016
Cole 1 1 1 1 1 2024 2024
Dunklin 1 1 1 1 1 2019 2019
Greene 1 1 3 1 1 2008 2008
Howell 1 1 1 1 1 2017 2017
Lewis 1 1 1 1 1
Madison 1 1 1 1 1 2014 2014
Mississippi 1 1 1 1 1 1978 1978
Oregon 1 1 2 1 1 2004 2004
Ozark 1 1 1 1 1 2003 2003
Pemiscot 2 3 2 2 2 1891 1891
Ripley 2 2 4 2 2 2004 2004
Saint Francois 1 2 1 1 1
Scott 1 1 3 1 1 2020 2020
Shannon 2 3 2 2 2 1953 2004
Stoddard 4 7 5 4 4 1979 2024
Taney 3 3 3 2 2 2020 2020
Wayne 2 2 2 2 2 1953 1953

Potential County Records

Potential counties for Macrochelys temminckii (Western Alligator Snapping Turtle). Counties are listed in descending order of their likelihood of having this species. Click on a county to view more information about that county. Click on column headings to sort by that column.
Likelihood County Rationale Ecoregion / Watershed
2 Callaway Same watershed, within 5 miles Lower Missouri-Moreau
2 Carter Same watershed, within 5 miles Current
2 Christian Same watershed, within 5 miles James
2 Iron Same watershed, within 5 miles Upper St. Francis
2 New Madrid Same watershed, within 5 miles Lower Mississippi-Memphis
2 Osage Same watershed, within 5 miles Lower Missouri-Moreau
2 Sainte Genevieve Same watershed, within 5 miles Big
4 Boone Same watershed, within 10 miles Lower Missouri-Moreau
4 Clark Same watershed, within 10 miles Bear-Wyaconda
4 Jefferson Same watershed, within 10 miles Big
4 Stone Same watershed, within 10 miles James
4 Texas Same watershed, within 10 miles Current
6 Dent Same watershed, within 20 miles Current
6 Douglas Same watershed, within 20 miles Bull Shoals Lake
6 Douglas Same watershed, within 20 miles North Fork White
6 Lawrence Same watershed, within 20 miles James
6 Marion Same watershed, within 20 miles Bear-Wyaconda
6 Miller Same watershed, within 20 miles Lower Missouri-Moreau
6 Moniteau Same watershed, within 20 miles Lower Missouri-Moreau
6 Reynolds Same watershed, within 20 miles Current
6 Reynolds Same watershed, within 20 miles Upper St. Francis
6 Washington Same watershed, within 20 miles Big
6 Webster Same watershed, within 20 miles James
8 Barry Same watershed, within 30 miles James
8 Cooper Same watershed, within 30 miles Lower Missouri-Moreau
8 Franklin Same watershed, within 30 miles Big
8 Gasconade Same watershed, within 30 miles Lower Missouri-Moreau
8 Montgomery Same watershed, within 30 miles Lower Missouri-Moreau
8 Perry Same watershed, within 30 miles Whitewater
8 Scotland Same watershed, within 30 miles Bear-Wyaconda

Linnaean Classification

Kingdom:
Animalia - Animals
Phylum:
Chordata - Chordates
Subphylum:
Vertebrata - Vertebrates
Class:
Reptilia Laurenti, 1768 - Reptiles
Order:
Testudines Batsch, 1788 - Turtles
Family:
Chelydridae Gray, 1870 - Snapping Turtles
Genus:
Macrochelys Gray, 1856 - Alligator Snapping Turtles
Species:
Macrochelys temminckii (Harlan, 1835) - Western Alligator Snapping Turtle

Recent Taxonomic Synonyms

(none)