South American snapping turtle

The South American snapping turtle (Chelydra acutirostris)^[1] is a species of turtle in the family Chelydridae.^[1] This species, which is endemic to Central and northwestern South America, was previously considered a subspecies of Chelydra serpentina.^[1] Its restricted range in South America reflects its recent arrival there as part of the Great American Interchange.

South American snapping turtle
A South American snapping turtle in the Cali Zoo
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Order:	Testudines
Suborder:	Cryptodira
Family:	Chelydridae
Genus:	Chelydra
Species:	C. acutirostris
Binomial name
Chelydra acutirostris W. Peters, 1862[1][2]
Synonyms[2]
Chelydra serpentina var. acutirostris W. Peters, 1862 Chelydra acutirostris — Babcock, 1932 Chelydra angustirostris Dunn, 1945 (ex errore)

Geographic range

Chelydra acutirostris is found in Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia, Ecuador^[1] and Peru.

Subspecies

There are no recognized subspecies of C. acutirostris.^[1][2]