My New Friend
A few days ago we found this lovely creature walking right in the middle of our road. At first from inside the car I thought he may have been an injured box turtle, as his shell was flat and serrated around the edge, and of course he was walking funny for a box turtle.
To my surprise, it turned out to be a common snapping turtle (Chelydra serpentina serpentina). The serpentina part of their name is because of their incredibly long neck and tail, giving a very serpentine like length. I was amazed how aggressive and fast it is on land, it not only hissed, but also lunges mouth-first. I am really amazed how powerful a climber the turtle is, because once I loaded it into the back of the car, it immediately climbed up into the seat, and into the back window next to the brake light. One has to be safe when handling snapping turtles as they can do quite a bit of damage with their powerful beak. The correct way to hold one is as I am doing in the photo, with the hand underneath supporting the body, never ever by the tail.
I will release him into a suitable and safer environment soon. He is the first of his species I have ever captured.
