Is the alligator turtle a nationally protected animal?

There are two major types of snapping turtles, large crocodiles and small crocodiles. Don’t think that a small alligator will grow up to be a big crocodile~~ Big crocodiles are also known as true snapping turtles, and small crocodiles are also called pseudo-snapping turtles. There are four subspecies, namely North America, Florida, South America, and Central America. The giant snapping turtle ranks sixth in the world's list of endangered rare creatures, so it is illegal to buy and sell wild snapping turtles privately.

The snapping turtle is listed as vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature due to human hunting and loss of habitat. They are hunted for their shells, which are valuable for the cross-shaped breastplate. They are also cooked into turtle soup. The giant snapping turtle is protected by Appendix III of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, which restricts its export and international trade.

They are generally bred in China, and they were not originally distributed in the wild in China. However, now that small snapping turtles have appeared, they are an invasive species and not a nationally protected animal.

The carapace of the female snapping turtle is square, with a thin tail base, and the genital pore is closer to the rear edge of the carapace. The male's carapace is rectangular, with a thick and long tail base, and the genital pore is close to the back edge of the carapace. The trailing edge is further away. In addition to the above characteristics of small snapping turtles, if the genital pore is located within the first hard spine of the tail or flush with the first hard spine of the tail, it is female, while if the genital pore is located outside the first hard spine of the tail, it is male.