Chickadee Photo Art

Snapping Turtle – Prehistory lives

// August 2nd, 2010 // Boreal Forest, Nopiming Provincial Park

It is like watching a living dinosaur.  This snapper – a sizeable one – was sunning on a rock in Nopiming Provincial Park.  This turtle would have no enemies to worry about with their heavy body armor – note the scalloped shell at the rear.   I was fascinated by the eye – perhaps you can see the “cross” shape of the pupil.  Its large leathery feet have huge claws.

This is the largest freshwater turtle found in Canada and can measure over 20″ long and over 30 pounds in weight. It is estimated they can live up to 30 – 40 years in the wild. Their tails are fairly long and are somewhat crocodilian in appearance. The common snapping turtle has a foul disposition and viciousness on land where it is most vulnerable. They are usually nocturnal burying into the mud or sand by day. If encountered in the water, snapping turtles will generally just swim away. If you find one keep your distance as they can and have been known to mutilate people.  Common snappers can be found in and around ponds, marshes, rivers and lakes. Their diet consists of fish, frogs, birds and mammals, both dead and alive.

They become dormant during the winter and bury themselves into muddy bottoms of ponds for long periods of time. They usually prefer slow-moving water with a muddy bottom and plenty of vegetation and they are found in ponds, lakes, rivers and streams.

I have seen snapping turtles lurking under docks and one of my sons has actually caught them twice by accident on a fishing hook while dock fishing.  Best to just cut the line if it doesn’t break first  as these turtles are not the friendly variety.  We circled around the rock in the boat to get a few more views of this snapping turtle.

Enjoy!

~Sharon