Snapping Turtle—Tortue serpentine—turtle mi’ kjikj (snapping; Chelydra serpentina), added to the herpetofauna of Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia, Canada

Abstract

Snapping Turtle (Chelydra serpentina) is native to mainland Nova Scotia, but its status on Cape Breton Island has been uncertain. Although it was recorded from Cape Breton Island as early as 1953, until 1984, it was known from only three widely scattered locations. Since that time, additional reports received from the public by Nova Scotia Department of Natural Resources and the Nova Scotia Museum of Natural History suggest that the species is native to Cape Breton Island. Thus, we are adding Snapping Turtle to the native herpetofauna of Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia.