my turtle encounter

[cvalda]

I was driving down a country highway (busy enough for a country highway), and saw a large turtle in the middle of the road. Of course without hesitation, I turned around and drove up to it and parked my 15-passenger van right in the middle of the road to prevent it from getting run over.

Needless to say there were some unhappy drivers who had to SLOW down, and pass me on the shoulder, but oh well!!!

Well I don't know my turtles well at all, all I knew was this was not a painted or RES... it was easily 8" long... well of course I'm not going to leave it in the middle of a country highway... I'm sure it got confused and away from the water with all of our storms and flooding lately, but the nearest pond or lake was a few miles away at least. So I reached down to pick it up and that baby LUNGED forward, I tried a second time, and it WHIPPED around and took a lunge at my shoe, just getting the plastic.

It was at this point that i decided what I'd come across was a snapper! Yes, my FIRST experience with a snapping turtle! Well luckily I had an animal carrier in the van, so I grabbed that and set it down in front of him, and he tried to bite that, I gave him a little nudge on the back with my foot, and it lunged right into the carrier! (WHEW!)

So I took it to a nearby lake (away from a shore or dog beach, so it wouldn't bother people), and let him go (but not after he turned and took one more snap at me!)

Here's a pic of him right before he dove in the water (remember, flooding... the water was so high it was up the streets so I couldn't get down to the edge of the lake, but he swam off into the lake!)

 

[Jacqui]

Nice save! Even tho he didn't seem very thankful, I am. Yes Snapper are wonderful at "attacking" when they feel threatened. They never read the book that says turtles are slow moving and shy.

 

[Isa]

Hello Kelly

That was really nice of you to save the turtle. I am sure in a way she knows you saved her life, well I guess so


Isa

 

[Itort]

If it is female (and probably is ) she was looking for nesting area. Next time you come across one, carry by tail away from body (easier said than done). I'm glad to see they coming back now that DDT is gone. I'm still waiting to see big ones like when I was a kid (back in the stone-age). LOL

 

[cvalda]

apparently she ALSO hasn't read the book that says that farmland, with all the plows, tractors, etc, is NOT a good spot for turtles!

 

[Jacqui]

You know with all the snappers I have saw, I have yet to see one with an injured shell. Not talking about the roadkills. Talking about ones that would look like a plow got it or something like that. Have saw plenty of box turtles with those kinds of marks. Also had an Ornate who had a marked shell that looked like a cow had stepped on it...perfect hoof print. I think it's just that as a general rule, these guys stay safely put in their water. Egg laying and either too much/too little water are the major reasons they are out and about.

I prefer any time I handle a snapper, to first make sure I give it something to bite and clamp down on. It's not so likely to drop it to go for me.

 

[Crazy1]

Nice save Kelly. congrats on your first Snapper experience

 

[jasso2]

oh yeah thats a snapper. i found like 3 snappers this year. the largest being about 18" it was huge!!!!!! scary

 

[cvalda]

omg something that fierce being 18"???? i would have ran away! LOL!

 

[Itort]

They caught a 60+ lb common snapper about 20 years ago in N. Minnesota that 1.5 hours to land with rope. They gave it the state and was displayed at state fair. That was huge. And then there are the alligator snappers they are reihtroducing in the rivers of my area.

 

[Yvonne G]

I just wanted to say that if anyone ever finds a snapper and they have to move it off the road or wherever, its not a good idea to lift it by its tail. That's been proved to be harmful to the spine. Just nudge it off the road with a branch or piece of something that keeps your hands away from that mouth area.

Yvonne

 

[terryo]

I'm in NY, and they are all over here in ponds. Some are close to 70 lbs. Usually the only time they come out of the ponds are to look for nesting spots.

 

[cvalda]

The neighbors called, saying they had my card with info about my missing tortoise and there was a turtle in their yard, and they didn't know what it was so could I come get it.

Got over there and it was ANOTHER snapper... like 10" long in shell length, at least...!

Okay so I know now this is likely another female coming out to nest... but they simply cannot be nesting in our neighborhoods!! The last thing we need is more snappers running around where our kids are playing!

So, Deontay and I caught it and took it out to the marsh next to the lake... there is better land in that area for her to nest in, as there are no neighborhoods in a five mile radius, or more... so hopefully she stays put! Oh and this girl was REALLY tired, and I could see a trail coming out of the shrubs, so she may have possibly already nested there. (ugh)

I've lived in this neighborhood for over two years, we haven't had any snapper encounters previously, so why two already this summer?

 

[Itort]

I think you may be seeing these gals because of the flooding forcing them to find nesting areas on higher ground. I don't consider them a threat to the neighborhood because they come out water just this time of year, lay eggs, and go back to the water.In the water it is difficult to get bitten by one. I have a coworker who growup in Mississippi and handcaught them and alligator snappers (they were a major source of protein for sharecroppers) out of the waters down there and has never been bitten in 50 some years. On land they are so scary most people avoid them and when bitten are harrassing them.

 

[drgnfly2265]

That's so cool, I would have done the same thing

_____________________________________________________

1 Sulcata (Bowser)

www.myspace.com/bowsertortoise

[/align]

 

[PATMAN]

A few years ago I was going to work at night. As I was taking the exit ramp I saw something to my right up agaist a fence. I knew it was a snapper. I went back and put the big girl in a box in my trunk. It was in my car all night. After work I went into my car and boy did it stink! I took the snapper down to the river and let her go, but not before she tried to bite me. Some thanks for saving her!