Common Snapping Turtle

Description:

Huge, powerful turtle. Carapace worn with age. Plastron covers much less of its underside than for most turtles. Snappers cannot retreat into their shells to hide, so they have to bite to defend themselves. This turtle was probably nesting. She was soon returned to her place. I found her there the next day, and the day after that she was gone. I searched for signs of a nest, but found none. I didn't dig very deep, though, for fear of harming the eggs, so there might have been a well-hidden clutch of them.

Habitat:

Found in the mulch under a bush at the VA Tech Alumni Center, near the Duck Pond. Most likely it was there to lay eggs, for which snappers often travel away from the water. Normally, they like to be close to the water. This one probably lives near the duck pond most of the time.

Notes:

The small crowd gathered to see this turtle did not know that picking up a snapping turtle by the tail can hurt it. Neither did I, at the time. I have since learned that you should NEVER do this! Fortunately, this turtle was not injured. The second Snapper I found that day. It was a lucky day for turtle-searching!