I need a snapping turtle expert?

Yes, it's a Florida snapper, one of the subspecies of common snapper for the person who wants to know if you're sure... here's comparison again against a gator snapper:

Alligator snapper: http://www.astfoundation.org/images/snapper3.jpg

Again: http://campussqueeze.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/1...

Florida snapper: http://i27.tinypic.com/tat3r4.jpg

Again: http://www4.pantown.com/data/2888/board5/209-20070...

Notice the smoother shell on the Florida snapper, and the more... dangerous looking beak on the gator snapper (longer tail on the gator snapper as well, but hard to tell in these pics.

Also, considering I know where the asker lives, I also know that true alligator snapping turtles don't range into that area. Here's the thing, I'm finding records for common snappers, but nothing for the Florida subspecies, I'm sure there's records somewhere, but I think all I've found references saying that they are common to twenty-someodd inches carapace length

I've got some people I can ask, though, so hopefully I'll be able to update for you.

And for stop_makin_cents, no, that one's not from one of those chemical baths... we would have liked to add him to my father's collection, but he swallowed a hook that wasn't meant for him and it did him no good (didn't take as long as it could have.) and we think we ~might~ have something here that's a little more... interesting than tasty dinner, got him in the deep freeze till we can figure out this record size issue, and I'm not sure how good the meat will be with him being frozen beforehand. We're definitely keeping the skull and shell though, and if there were any DECENT turtle taxidermiests (is that a word?) around here, we'd do that, but no one seems to know what they're doing with a turtle...

According to Conant and Collins, the record Fla. snapper is only 47 1/2 pounds.

Wow. Can you believe the claws on that dude? I live in Minnesota, and a state print-out claimed the largest snapper here was 68 pounds and a shell length of 28 inches.

Brother I wish I knew!

Thats a tasty critter though. I reckon you'll be keeping some "backstrap"?

Your fix'in to have another "mouth in the house"!

Freeze some steaks off that guy!

(Or was he caught in a "chemical bath" like some of those Gators Gimme was talkin' bout?)

Anywho- Nice Kooter!

wait?!?!?r u sure that is a common snapper?????that looks just like a alligator snapping turtle.when u feed it does it wiggle its tong like a worm to attract prey???if it does then its an alligator snapping turtle.that doesnt look anything lik the common snappers i catch here in oklahoma.

They get pretty large! I've caught 20-30lb ones in numbers excess of hundreds. This is the biggest one I have ever caught with a friend of mine. Well, I would post a picture but photobucket wont let me. I'll post it when I figure it out.