After the eggs have developed sufficiently in the female, she excavates a hole, normally in sandy soil, and lays as many as 83 eggs. The eggs take 9-18 weeks to hatch depending on the weather. Interestingly, female snapping turtles sometimes store sperm for several years. Sperm storage allows individuals to mate at any time of the year independent of female ovulation, and it also allows females to lay eggs every season without needing to mate. Behavior Snapping turtles are not social creatures.
Social interactions are limited to aggressive interactions between individuals, usually males.
Snapping turtles can be very vicious when removed from the water, but they become docile when placed back into the water. Snapping turtles like to bury themselves in mud with only their nostrils and eyes exposed. This burying behavior is used as a means of ambushing prey. Snapping turtles have a small growth on the front of their tongues that resembles a wriggling worm. When a fish comes to investigate the lure, the snapping turtle grabs it with its strong jaws.