I’ve always enjoyed coming across common snapping turtles. I still remember seeing one for the first time on a canoe trip in Western NY and thinking it was scary and prehistoric. I was told by an adult on the trip that they can “bite your finger clean off in the blink of an eye.” That adult “turtle expert” was poking the thing with a stick at the time. He insisted that they can bite broomsticks in half. The poor turtle tried to pull its head back in, hissed a bit and showed off it’s mouth, giving a ton of warning. Eventually after much molesting, it bit at the stick. Although much smaller than a broomstick it did not break it in half.
Kids do need to know not to handle snapping turtles. Without respect they can send you to the hospital. I’m pretty sure that poking the thing in the face with a stick is NOT the best teaching technique, although it might be the most commonly used. I left the experience a little baffled. The turtle seemed scary, mostly because of what the adult said. Of the two, the turtle seemed much better behaved than the human. At least it wasn’t the aggressor in the confrontation.
Since I spend a lot of time on bikes I come across a few of these each year trying to cross the road, usually females in early June looking for a place to lay their eggs. I always stop and move them out of the road so they don’t get flattened. I get some strange looks from people, especially if it is a big heavy female (the turtle that is). No doubt they have heard that they are blood thirsty villains waiting to bite your fingers off. I learned how to properly handle snapping turtles while taking Herpetology in grad school. I wouldn’t suggest trying to pick one up unless you know exactly what you are doing and have fast hands. The worst experience I’ve had handling turtles is getting scratched by their claws… and I’ve gotten much worse from house cats.
They do have a sharp and powerful tomium (beak) that can do serious damage. Snappers can move VERY quickly, and their neck is incredibly flexible. They should be respected, but not necessarily feared. I’m not saying that they are the nicest creatures in the world. They are incredibly efficient predators. I’d watched snapping turtles eat ducks and geese, and they make short work of it.
Our neighbors found this smallish snapper in their yard while gardening. I took a bunch of photos and released it at a nearby pond.
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