old snapper

This is a very old snapping turtle that was going from bog to bog behind our camper. BEV

Here is one with his mouth open.

Racing to the water.

OH Bev... they can be pretty scary. We had one here one day ... errr for about a weekend. He/She was very determined to go somewhere, other than the detention pond it came out of.

They won't hurt you unless you run real slow. Just being a smart A. You don't see these very often around here. One yr. I had a small one in my fish pond though. BEV

here is the one i found...

the first time we noticed him/her was when my son drove away [he was parked on the street] then all of a sudden this huge turtle was in the road. we figured he was under the car to get out of the hot sun.

so i picked it up [he/she didnt like that one bit, and boy was it heavy] and put in on the decline down to the pond.
the next day, it was climbing up the hill -- ventured into my flower bed, then under the 'bay window', back out again... i think it was looking for a place to nest as it was rooting around. then made it's way thru my neighbors yard and started to the street again.... me not really knowing anything about turtles and not wanting it to get hit by a car... i picked it back up again... all the while it's hissing and snapping its head back and forth... i pointed it near the pond again .... very long story short.... it didnt want to go in the pond ... it wanted to head north ... so after a long while and me watching it and once helping it cross the road, since that it where it was determined to go.... it waddled all the way down the block .... then cut between some homes... we are assuming it went to a different pond, possibly to nest.

dragonfly, that's a fat one! How big was she?

I would say her shell was about one and a half ft by one and a half. She was pretty old. BEV

tsc, be very careful, don't pick them up w/o gloves or something as they can stretch their neck back over the shell and reach you in a NY second to take a bite when angered.
We have them in the pond at our cabin and are quite cautious when we see them out there on the bank.

They can bite through gloves.

I can tell ya, it tried to bite me... scared the daylight outta me... at least i didnt drop it... but got to the grass where i set it down.

the thing was so big, my hands were centered [head to tail] on the shell -- and when it's snapped it's head back, it was still inches away. Maybe it was just trying to scare me... well, it worked.

Found a snapper just before she layed her eggs yesterday. She was about a foot (her shell only) so she wasn't too big and was happy to pose for some photos.

"Is this my good side?"

In her face.

Good PIC! BEV

Does this angle make my upper arms look heavy?

Thanks BEV, they sure are fun to watch.

I think it would be great to have a reptile and frog forum. There are so many great turtle, lizzard, and frog pictures here. (I could do without the snakes, but there are many of those too.)

Did you suggest it to Dave?

Great snapping turtles pics, glad to see what an adult looks like, Seen some babies last year, for the first time. My Sister had dug along the foundation of the cottage to plant some flowers during the day, and that night we sat out on the porch, and these little guys starting to come around us. We saw at least 6. Tcs1366, had ID it for me.

Here's a few pics of them.

This message was edited Jun 3, 2008 12:40 PM

A few more.

another pic of them.

Tried to get a group picture here, but a few had run of on the lawn. they stay around us for all the time we were out there, determine to climb up on the cement slab. where we were sitting.

I think this one was going for the bug.

AWWW! They're so tiny!

Yes, they are fun to watch hatch out of the hole in the fall. We have seen as many as 15 come out of one catch. The shells seem soft and they are quite fast. (about the size of a quarter)

I looked outside this morning and see 2 more snappers laying eggs. We have some nice sandy spots and they love it. Also it is raining today and that seems to trigger egg laying.

The babies are adorable! I have always liked turtles, even when I was a kid. Not too many in my neighborhood, so I enjoy watching them while on the lake. First.

More

Still more!

Another

And the last. GM :)

Great pictures. Looks like in front of our house. I love how they line up on a log. Too funny.

Hard to get the pictures. They sploosh in when you get anywhere within a half mile it seems.

Across the lane behind our camper is a bog area and they have a branch that they line up on but as soon as they see me they are gone. BEV

These are of the one at the top of the page.

Headed for the bog!!

Cparts I am so jealous! Looks like in front of your house! You are sooo luckey!!! GM :)
And oh! That snapping turtle looks scary, too!!!

Thanks, we just live in the swamp, lol, so we get all this stuff. But it is what we like.

Never snapped a snapper with its mouth open. Great shots.

Was it hissing at you?

No it didn't hiss. I was surprised.

Maybe just opening the mouth was enough to make a threatening stance. I know that I would know that he or she was disturbed. LOL

I am sorry. I had someone standing in front of him with a stick to make him open up. You can see the stick if you enlarge the pics. BEV

That is funny, it must have thought you were dueling with it.

(sorry, don't always open pictures, as I have dial up) Yours were so nice I could see them pretty clearly in the thumbnail. Nice job.

Thank you.