NEW ORLEANS -- It's a marvelously ugly beast, with spiked and ridged armor, a sharply hooked beak, a fishing lure in its mouth and a nasty bite. But the alligator snapping turtle's hard shell holds ...

Turtles are often unfairly maligned as fish killers that ruin the ecosystems of our ponds, rivers, and streams. The facts are that many turtles are omnivores and consume large amounts of aquatic ...