eastern snapping turtle

Description:

Characteristics This turtle has a flattened carapace (upper shell) with knobby keels that smooth out with age. It can grow very large, reaching up to19 inches in length and weighing from 10 to 35 pounds. It has a large head, a small plastron (lower shell), and a long tail which is saw-toothed along the upper side. The carapace is brown; the plastron and bridge are cream to light brown with varying amounts of black on the surface. The skin of the head, neck, and limbs is dark brown or black, and the large head has a blunt, protruding snout. The carapace is often covered with algae. Juveniles are similar to adults in morphology and color. The breeding season is from late April until November. The incubation period is from 80-90 days, and egg laying occurs usually in June. The hard-shelled, white eggs are spherical in shape, resembling ping-pong balls. The eggs are laid in a flask-shaped cavity that the females dig in many varieties of soils on dry land. http://www.dgif.virginia.gov/wildlife/in...

Habitat:

The snapping turtle is found statewide, including on some barrier islands. It inhabits a wide variety of aquatic habitats, including ponds, lakes, streams, rivers, swamps, and freshwater and brackish marshes. Areas providing cover in the form of stumps, muskrat lodges and burrows, overhanging ledges, and /or soft, deep, organic substrate have the largest populations. The activity season extends from late March through October, but snapping turtles can be found in water in any month of the year. http://www.dgif.virginia.gov/wildlife/in...

Notes:

This one was walking between two ponds (drainage ditches full of spring rains), and had just crossed an asphalt pathway on campus. The turtle had been walking slowly but steadily when I first saw it. As I approached, it stopped, dropped to the ground and partially withdrew its head, in a defensive posture. After taking its picture, I left it alone to complete its journey.