In early October, two Haven men caught a state-record snapping turtle on the Arkansas River near their hometown.

The monster snapper weighed 45 pounds and was 16 inches long. It broke the 14-year-old Kansas record by 13 pounds.

The previous largest common snapper was caught in 1992 by Ian and John Bork in Barton County. That specimen weighed 32 pounds. The world record for this species (Chelydra serpentina) is 86 pounds, 191â2 inches.

Common snapping turtles live about 28 years in the wild, and specimens living more than 40 years are well documented. They are found throughout the United States east of the Rocky Mountains.

Snappers are omnivorous and will consume anything that will fit in the mouth, including algae, duckweed, sedges, insects, crayfish, earthworms, frogs, fish, mice and other turtles.

When young, common snappers are active foragers, but as adults they more commonly ambush prey. The flesh and eggs of common snappers are edible and highly desirable in parts of their range.

In late October, most common snapping turtles settle into the mud bottoms of ponds or streams or beneath logs and remain there until warmer spring temperatures set in.

The record turtle will be displayed alive at the Wildlife and Parks Pratt Education Center near Pratt. Eventually, it will become part of the herpetology collection at the Sternberg Museum of Natural History in Hays.