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Chelydra serpentina serpentina
Snapper hatchling luckily spotted by a co-worker sitting on top of the mud. Not sure of the exact age, but you could still see where the yolk sac was attached and the shell was still fairly soft.
Spotted in a small wetland in eastern Iowa. Snapping turtles occupy all types of freshwater habitats (streams, lakes, reservoirs, ponds, marshes, swamps), especially those with soft mud bottoms and abundant aquatic vegetation or submerged brush and logs.
In Iowa, female snappers are sexually mature at ~ 8 years. Female turtles sometimes store sperm for several years. Sperm storage allows individuals to mate at any time of the year independent of female ovulation, and it also allows females to lay eggs every season without needing to mate.
Spotted on Apr 11, 2012
Submitted on Apr 12, 2012
12 Comments
LOVE IT!! :)
Your spotting has been nominated for the Spotting of the Week. The winner will be chosen by the Project Noah Rangers based on a combination of factors including: uniqueness of the shot, status of the organism (for example, rare or endangered), quality of the information provided in the habitat and description sections. There is a subjective element, of course; the spotting with the highest number of Ranger votes is chosen. Congratulations on being nominated!
Awwww....how cute :)
Barefeetbilly, I am sure its a common snapper. Although, an alligator snapper would have been even cooler to see this young.
Are you sure that is not an Alligator Snapper. It has quite a tail on it!
Oh my gosh it's so cute I want to break it!
So cute
Thanks everyone! Baby snappers are probably in my top 5 favorite things ever :)
ADIRABLE!!
Great spotting! The detailed description and notes are a nice contribution to the Project Noah community!
Very cute!
so cute