{"id":656626,"date":"2026-05-21T15:08:10","date_gmt":"2026-05-21T15:08:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/656626\/"},"modified":"2026-05-21T15:08:10","modified_gmt":"2026-05-21T15:08:10","slug":"endangered-alligator-snapping-turtle-found-in-massachusetts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/656626\/","title":{"rendered":"Endangered alligator snapping turtle found in Massachusetts"},"content":{"rendered":"

Earlier this spring an Essex County resident notified MassWildlife<\/a> of a snapping turtle acting oddly in their yard and asked for help.<\/p>\n

What MassWildlife staff found was a female alligator snapping turtle. She weighed only 60 pounds and was fighting against the cold climate in Massachusetts, an agency <\/a>spokesperson said. The alligator snapping turtle is not native to Massachusetts and was sent to the New England Wildlife Center<\/a>, where she is still being treated for severe pneumonia.<\/p>\n

On May 18, MassWildlife posted a video about the rescued alligator snapping turtle <\/a>on social media.<\/p>\n

What we know about the alligator snapping turtle rescued by MassWildlife<\/p>\n

Alligator snapping turtles, which have the Latin name macrochelys temminckii, are usually found in the water systems flowing into the Gulf of Mexico, which was renamed by the U.S. government as Gulf of America<\/a>. Their historic range tends to be from Louisiana to the southwestern area of Iowa.<\/p>\n

Because of how she was living, MassWildlife biologists believe this alligator snapping turtle was released into the wild.<\/p>\n

Unlike common snapping turtles, which can be found natively in Massachusetts and kept as households as pets, it’s illegal to keep an alligator snapping turtles as pet.<\/p>\n

\"Found<\/p>\n

Found struggling with the colder climate in Massachusetts, MassWildlife biologists believe this alligator snapping turtle was being kept illegally as a pet. She is now receiving care at New England Wildlife Center for severe pneumonia.<\/p>\n

Why are alligator snapping turtles illegal to keep as pets<\/p>\n

Alligator snapping turtles are specifically restricted under 321 CMR 9.01<\/a>, the spokesperson said.<\/p>\n

That state law says no species listed in the Red Book(-s) of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (UCN) cannot be possessed by an individual or owned as a pet without a license or permit.<\/p>\n

“Western Alligator Snapping Turtle\u00a0Macrochelys temminckii\u00a0has most recently been assessed for\u00a0The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species\u00a0in 2023,” the IUCN website said.\u00a0“Macrochelys temminckii\u00a0is listed as Endangered.”<\/p>\n

Rin Velasco is a trending reporter. She can be reached at rvelasco@usatodayco.com.<\/p>\n

This article originally appeared on wickedlocal.com: Endangered alligator snapping turtle rescued in Massachusetts<\/a><\/p>\n