Crocodile turtles are carnivores and eat scavengers. It has a wide variety of diets. Crocodile turtles, small fish, crayfish, all kinds of shellfish, all kinds of fruits and vegetables, are all prey of crocodile turtles. Wild individuals also prey on snakes and birds.
In Michigan, baby turtles even eat plants. They usually do this when there is no food or in summer. When they mature, they will become omnivores and pose no threat to the number of fish. Fishermen praised their fishing ability, ie lured their prey with their tongues. Small fish are usually the food source of small turtles. They eat almost anything.
They mainly eat fish and dead fish, invertebrates, carrion and amphibians, as well as snakes or other turtles and birds. The snapping turtle eats all kinds of meat, including beef, chicken and pork, but it must be lured to eat first. Adult snapping turtles have also hunted small crocodiles.
Extended data:
The difference between the big snapping turtle and the small snapping turtle is mainly manifested in six aspects:
1. Head, the crocodile's head is sharp, and the little snapping turtle's head is round. The upper jaw of the big snapping turtle looks like an eagle beak with a big hook, while the upper jaw of the small snapping turtle looks like a hook, but the hook is very small. The big snapping turtle can suddenly attack other animals, and the small snapping turtle can use its body to turn around to find the target, and even chase after it.
2. Mouth, the mouth of the big snapping turtle is longer than that of the small snapping turtle, and the tongue is red, but the small snapping turtle does not have these characteristics.
3. The carapace, the carapace peak of the big snapping turtle is obvious, but the carapace peak of the small snapping turtle is not obvious, almost flat, and the carapace looks round. There are three longitudinal ridges on the carapace of the crocodile turtle, which are brown, and each shield has a protrusion. The carapace is brown and has an upper shield. The carapace of the small snapping turtle is brown or dark brown, with three longitudinal ridges, slightly raised ribs and shields, and the ridges gradually wear out with time.
4. Abdomen, there are countless tentacles in the abdomen of the big snapping turtle, and there are only a few tentacles in the abdomen of the small snapping turtle. The abdominal armor is gray, and there is no shield.
5. Tail: The big snapping turtle has a long tail, while the small snapping turtle has a short tail, and there is a zigzag ridge on the back of the tail, also called the tail spine.
6. Growth speed: Crocodile turtles grow slowly when they are young, and grow faster when they reach 250g g. Under the condition of artificial temperature control, it only takes 1 year to grow from 250g to 2500g, and the largest individual in nature reaches more than 100kg. Small snapping turtles grow slowly below 50g, and it takes about 80 days to grow from 7g to 50g. Under the condition of temperature control, it takes only 1 year for a 50-gram snapping turtle to grow to 2500 grams or a 7-gram snapping turtle to grow to 1.500 grams.
In the natural state, small snapping turtles can grow to more than 23 kilograms. The difference in growth speed between the big snapping turtle and the small snapping turtle is mainly caused by different habits. The snapping turtle is lazy and not good at taking the initiative to eat. It lures small fish with its earthworm-like "tongue". Small snapping turtles can take the initiative to eat, and naturally grow faster than big snapping turtles. Therefore, China breeds more small snapping turtles than big snapping turtles.