Big Snap Daddy, the iconic common snapping turtle at Schramm Education Center's aquarium, died April 20 at the facility surrounded by staff who cared for him.
Big Snap was estimated to be between 96 and 100 years old.
His health had declined rapidly over the weekend, leading to the decision to humanely euthanize him on Monday.
Big Snap has been on display at Schramm aquarium since the early 1990s; he originally was caught in the Missouri River near Peru by an angler and given to what was then the Ak-Sar-Ben Aquarium.
When the center was renovated in 2019, a tank was custom-built for Big Snap, reinforcing his important role in the educational mission at Schramm Education Center and Schramm Park State Recreation Area. Thousands of people have delighted in learning about and observing Big Snap during visits to the center near Gretna.
Big Snap is believed to be the world's largest common snapping turtle. During his last weigh-in in March 2026, he tipped the scales at 102 pounds. This, combined with his size, and wear to his shell, tail and beak, led Dennis Ferraro, Nebraska's leading herpetologist, to estimate Big Snap's age as near 100.
In the wild, common snapping turtles are known to live between 30 and 50 years; Big Snap far surpassed his life expectancy.
He left a lasting impression on many people during his decades as an education ambassador animal, and he will be missed by those who cared for him and those who visited him.