ALLIGATOR SNAPPING TURTLES

The prehistoric-looking alligator snapping turtle is the largest freshwater turtle in North America. With its spiked shell, beaklike jaws, and thick, scaled tail, this species is often referred to as the "dinosaur of the turtle world." With a bite force of 1,000 pounds, their powerful jaws can snap through bone—so they should never be handled in the wild.

Interesting Fact: These amazing creatures have a unique worm-like appendage at the back of their mouth that is used to lure in prey close enough to become a meal.

SWIPE RIGHT ON PHOTO FOR ANOTHER AMAZING FISH

Also sharing this exhibit are spotted gar. This ancient species of fish has several primitive features including a swim bladder connected to their esophagus, which acts like a lung. This allows gars to breathe air in stagnant waters with little oxygen.

SWIPE RIGHT ON PHOTO FOR ANOTHER AMAZING FISH

Sturgeons are ancient fish, little changed from their ancestors in the fossil record dating back to the Triassic period, some 245 to 208 million years ago.

Sturgeons used to have considerable economic importance along the Mississippi River, but  underwent a sharp decline after 1900. Overfishing, pollution, and dam construction (which blocks migration and destroys habitat) have all contributed to the decline of these unusual, ancestral fish. Slow growth rate and late maturity make the sturgeons, as a group, especially vulnerable to overharvest.

Sturgeon, like the Shovelnose Sturgeon in this tank, are more critically endangered than any other group of species.