Multiple paternity in clutches of snapping turtles (Chelydra serpentina) detected using DNA fingerprints

Female common snapping turtles (Chelydra serpentina) are capable of storing viable sperm for at least several months and are likely to be inseminated by more than one male. Consequently, we tested the hypothesis that multiple paternity occurred within individual clutches of three common snapping turtles from Algonquin Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada, by examining DNA fingerprints. Positive evidence of multiple paternity was detected among samples of offspring from two of the three clutches. In these clutches, the distributions of both paternal DNA fingerprint bands and band-sharing coefficients deviated from those expected under the assumption of a single father, suggesting that paternity was distributed between two or more males in each clutch. Multiple paternity and the ability of females to store sperm make turtles good animals in which to study sperm competition. The mating systems and life-history features of turtles should be studied with the consequences of sperm storage and multiple paternity in mind.