Snapping Turtle Warming Table
The common snapping turtle (Chelydra serpentina) is often seen basking on top of the concrete pipe in this pond. Be very quiet so as not to disturb him otherwise he will jump back into the pond! Turtles, unlike humans, are cold-blooded so they need to spend a lot of time in the sun warming their bodies.
Snappers are easy to identify. They are the largest freshwater turtle in the west and can grow to about the size of a beach ball (18”) and weigh as much as a 12 year old boy (84 lbs.). In the wild they are capable to living up to 30 years old. They have a mud colored shell and body, a large head, and a stout tail.
Snapping turtles eat both meat and plants thus they are omnivores, just like humans. They will eat anything they can swallow, including insects, fish, frogs, snakes, lizards, smaller turtles, unwary birds, and even small mammals. They are important aquatic scavengers. In the winter turtles hibernate like bears except they like to hibernate in the mud bottom of ponds, river banks, and they will even use muskrat tunnels.
When out of the water common snappers can be dangerous. Their species name, serpentina, Latin for snake, refers to the ability to extend their head and neck far back to bite. Being too large to hide in their shells, snapping is their defense mechanism. If given the chance the turtle will flee rather than bite, but being a slow moving turtle this isn’t always an option.
While snapping turtles are not in danger they must deal with the increasing pollution, habitat destruction, food scarcity, and overcrowding. These things will force a snapping turtle to travel up to one mile to find a new home or to lay their eggs. They will mate from April through November and the females can lay up to 80 eggs in sandy soil. Their nests can be some distance from the water but the hatchlings resemble dead cottonwood leaves allowing them to camouflage well and thus travel a great distance without being detected by predators.
by Barbara Masoner and Kristine Tunnell, Audubon Naturalists
References:
Harper & Row’s Complete Field Guide to North American Wildlife, 1981, pg 397.
Dorling Kindersley Handbook, Reptiles and Amphibians, M O’Shea & Tim Halliday, 2001, pg 50.
http://nas.er.usgs.gov/queries/factsheet.aspx?SpeciesID=1226
http://fieldguide.mt.gov/detail_ARAAB01010.aspx
Id, fieldguide.mt.gov/detail_ARAAB01010.aspx
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* The markers on this trail are being constructed by a Littleton Eagle Scout Project during the spring of 2012.
When completed, you will find amazing information on these natural elements as you walk the Audubon Loop. Check back in April/May 2012 for more information on this topic!
