information:filtering
Distribution and habitat

The alligator snapping turtle is found primarily in freshwaters of the southeastern United States. It is found from the Florida Panhandle west to East Texas, north to southeastern Kansas, Missouri, southeastern Iowa, western Illinois, southern Indiana, west Michigan western Kentucky, Louisiana, and western Tennessee. Typically, only nesting females venture onto open land.

They are generally found only in bodies of water that flow into the Gulf of Mexico and usually do not occur in isolated wetlands or ponds. A study found that the turtles prefer places with canopy cover, overhanging trees, shrubs, dead submerged trees, and beaver dens. This species utilizes core sites within these habitats, and females tend to have larger movement patterns than males. The average home range for an individual is 750 m (2,460 ft). Females have larger home ranges than males.