Snapping Turtles: A Source of Facination and Tall Tales

Everyone's heard the stories. "It was bigger than a garbage pail lid!" It must've weighed 100 pounds!", "It could take off your hand!" To anyone who has actually worked with Snapping turtles (Chelydra serpentina), stories such as these are often quite amusing. To those that are unfamiliar with the animal, it must seem larger than life.

I've caught snapping turtles for research and education purposes for years. After seeing hundreds of turtles, I can honestly say that I've never found one bigger than a garbage pail lid, and have always been able to pick them up unassisted. In more quantitative terms, the biggest ones were around 16 inches long, (shell length) and weighed maybe 35 pounds. Of course that's not nearly enough to make a good story.

As for their ferocity, it seems to me that most of the time they are just trying to get away. In the water they seem to feel comfortable and will swim away when approached. I've never actually heard of anyone being bitten in the water. If you should pull then out of the water, or confront them on land however, it's a different story. They will still try to get away, or move towards water, but on the way there, they usually make audible hissing sounds, snap and lunge with their whole body.

Of course people don't always have malicious intentions towards the turtle. Snappers lay their eggs on land but live most of their lives in the water. During the nesting season this can present a problem, as many turtles have to cross roads to lay their eggs. Turtle shells are strong but they are not made to withstand a vehicle driving over them. If anything they will protect the animal enough so that it dies slowly after being hit. For anyone wanting to help the turtles across the road, there is a way to safely handle them to move them out of harms way, even if they are protesting.

To be safe, you should first assume that the turtle can snap about halfway back its shell. (They have very long necks). If you locate the turtle's rear legs, and see where they meet the shell, you are looking at the snappers "handles". There is a pit under the shell where each leg meets it where your hands can safely grab the turtle to carry it. It may not be the most pleasant experience of your life, (there may be leeches, and you have to watch the turtle's sharp nails) but you don't have to fear being bitten. Carrying the turtle in whatever direction it was headed is probably the quickest and safest way to get it off the roadway.

Even though the stories about them may be exaggerated, the fact that people tell such stories is a sign of out fascination with this species. Hopefully with a little education this fascination will benefit the turtles as well as the people "living" to tell the tale.