Old Snapping Turtle

On the way back from Church today, we spotted a very old snapping turtle walking down the road. Technically, you are supposed to move turtles off the road. But snapping turtles, although they certainly do look like docile reptiles plodding along harmlessly, but due to their extremely quick reflexes and not so pleasant disposition, I didn't wish to risk an arm or a leg.

Snapping turtles (Chelydra serpentina), are reptiles that can be found near almost any permanent body of water in the U.S. Since they are fairly nocturnal animals, and surprisingly prefer a shady, muddy and weedy hideout rather than a bask in the sun by day, the best time to see them by day is in spring and early summer, when females move out of the water in search of a suitable spot to lay their eggs. Unlike many other animals, turtles generally do not guard their eggs. Interestingly, the sex of a turtle is not determined by sex genes, but rather by the specific temperatures that the eggs are exposed to during gestation! Females are pruduced when eggs are in warmer temperatures, while males are preduced when eggs are exposed to cooler temperatures.

An old turtle can be distinguished from a young turtle by looking for keels, or bumps, on the carapace (shell). Young turtles have pronounced keels, while older ones have a relatively smooth carapace. A turtle that is well weathered will probably have parts of their carapaces chipped off, as well as parts of their hooked 'beak', as this snapper (also called loggerhead) does.