Facts About Snapping Turtles
1. A snapping turtle is large and lives in freshwater.
2. They have short tempers and strong jaws.
3. Bertha’s shell is black. Her head is large. Her neck is long and covered with tubercles on the top and sides. Her legs are tan, large and heavily scaled. Her webbed feet have long claws. Her eyes sit dorsolaterally. There are two barbels on her chin. Her tail is long and has three rows of high scales on it.
4. Snappers prefer slow-moving water with a muddy bottom and plenty of vegetation. They are usually found in the shallow water of ponds, streams, and on the edge of deeper lakes and rivers. Some snapping turtles have also been found living in brackish water.
5. Snappers are nocturnal. During the day, they bury themselves into the bottom mud or sand, and wait for prey to swim by. Small fish, frogs, or other aquatic animals that swim too close to the concealed snapper will become a meal. At night, they are more active, foraging and pursuing their food.
6. Females will often travel considerable distances over land to find a nesting site.
7. In late autumn snappers decrease their activity, and by late October most have entered hibernation. They bury themselves into the muddy bottom. While hibernating, snapping turtles need little oxygen and absorp oxygen through their skin.
8. When the water warms to 40 degrees Fahrenheit, snappers become active again.
9. When in the water, a snapping turtle will normally shy away from danger. When confronted, it will remain very still and as soon as it can, it will quickly swim away from the disturbance. A snapper can and sometimes will bite underwater. It is when on land that snapping turtles live up to their name and become vicious. They will lunge forward and snap with their sharp beak. The snapper’s strong jaws and sharp beak can rip skin and flesh. The bite of a snapper is painful and it can hold on ferociously.
10. Size, rather than age, determines when a snapping turtle is able to breed. It usually takes at least five years for male snappers to become mature, seven or more for females. Mating kof snapping turtles generally takes place in April and May. Nesting occurs between May 15 and June 15. Most females return to the same area to nest year after year. Excavating of the nest usually takes place in early evening or early morning. The nest is dug 3 to 7 inches deep. It is bowl shaped, with a narrow entrance leading to a larger chamber below. A snapping turtle may lay between 20 to 40 eggs at a time. Bertha layed 32 eggs. Most eggs hatch within 95 days. Upon hatching, the young are about the size of a fifty cent piece. Once they leave the nest, they head for the nearest water. Along the way, many hatchlings fall prey to predators.
11. Snapping turtles will eat almost anything that they can catch and swallow. They eat both plants and animals. Fish and invertebrates make up the majority of the snapper’s diet. Young snappers feed mainly on small invertebrates such as insects, crayfish, snails, leeches, and worms and aquatic plants. Adult snappers eat plants, carrion, invertebrates, and larger prey such as fish, frogs, toads, tadpoles, salamanders, small turtles, snakes, young waterfowl, and small mammals.
12. The most vulnerable time for a snapping turtle is while it is a hatchling. Once a snapper reaches adulthood, it has few enemies. Humans are the main predators of adult snappers. It is estimated that snappers live an average of 30 to 40 years in the wild.
Return to the Wildlife Activities Main Page
© copyright 1996 by Chris Aker