CORRECT!!
It's a COMMON SNAPPING TURTLE!!
Above photo from :Amphibians and Reptiles of North Carolina
Many folks think of the Snapping Turtle as an ugly, offensive creature--but I think these ancient relics of the dinosaur age are truly awesome!!
As you can see from the picture above, they have a large head with a knife-like beak, small eyes and a powerful neck. Their carapace, or upper shell, can range in color from almost black to a light brown with three well-defined longitudinal "keels". These keels wear down as the turtle ages and the Carapace will often be quite smooth in older turtles.
Often, in swampy areas, the carapace of an older turtle will be covered with moss and algae--this not only helps camouflage the turtle under water but also sheds light on the origin of some of the Snapping Turtle's common names--"old mossy" and "moss back". The trailing edge of the Carapace and the top of the tail are serrated like a saw. The tail of a Snapping Turtle is much longer and muscular than most turtles and can be used if you need to pick smaller turtles up--but not a larger one as it can damage the nerves and bones of the tail and injure the animal. The Snapping turtle's skin is usually grayish to brown/black in color--often with lighter spots and stippling and leathery to the touch. Their feet are webbed for swimming and possess long, sharp claws. A snappers legs are extremely strong and seem to be a bit long for their body size probably due to the relatively small size of their shell. The small shell does not allow them to pull their head, legs and tail all the way into their shell as Box turtles can do. Instead, they rely on pure bone-crushing power to fend off enemy attacks--and once a Snapping Turtle is fully grown, almost nothing bothers them except possibly for large Alligators. In the water they are usually passive and will bury up in the mud if stepped on or quickly flee. If cornered on land it's a different story, they can be quite defensive--often standing up high as they can with jaws open and lunge and strike repeatedly. These turtles mean business and will bite if cornered. If you are bitten by a snapper you will suffer injuries...large ones can even sever fingers! But it's an old tale of folklore that they won't let go until the thunder rolls.
Above Photo by National Geographic Photographer George Grall from Nationalgeographic.com
Snapping turtles are beautiful and passive under water but if you encounter a Snapping turtle on land it is best to leave to be. If it is crossing a road or other area that could be dangerous for the turtle, please carefully pick it up using its tail as a handle and move it quickly to the side of the road that it was heading toward. If it is a large turtle you may need assistance and should wear thick leather gloves.
These large aquatic turtles can be found from Southern Canada south to Mexico and from the Atlantic coast west to the Rocky Mountains. They can be found almost anywhere there is permanant fresh water and can sometimes even be found in brackish water. Seldom will you see one basking on logs as other turtles do but I just happened to be in the right place at the right time and took the below photo of one doing just that.
They seem prefer to remain totally submerged save for the end of their nose when taking a breath of air, when the lure of a food item is just to good to pass up and when nesting females coming ashore to lay eggs. These turtles can attain large sizes--up to 50+ lbs--and ages of up to a century. They will eat almost anything that moves but also eat carrion and vegetation--I once found one eating grapes directly from an arbor!! In some areas these turtles are frequently used in the making of soups and stews. I have eaten Snapping Turtle meat myself--but I wouldn't do it again!
To go back to the Snake Game click:HERE
Above photo from :Amphibians and Reptiles of North Carolina
Many folks think of the Snapping Turtle as an ugly, offensive creature--but I think these ancient relics of the dinosaur age are truly awesome!!
As you can see from the picture above, they have a large head with a knife-like beak, small eyes and a powerful neck. Their carapace, or upper shell, can range in color from almost black to a light brown with three well-defined longitudinal "keels". These keels wear down as the turtle ages and the Carapace will often be quite smooth in older turtles.
Often, in swampy areas, the carapace of an older turtle will be covered with moss and algae--this not only helps camouflage the turtle under water but also sheds light on the origin of some of the Snapping Turtle's common names--"old mossy" and "moss back". The trailing edge of the Carapace and the top of the tail are serrated like a saw. The tail of a Snapping Turtle is much longer and muscular than most turtles and can be used if you need to pick smaller turtles up--but not a larger one as it can damage the nerves and bones of the tail and injure the animal. The Snapping turtle's skin is usually grayish to brown/black in color--often with lighter spots and stippling and leathery to the touch. Their feet are webbed for swimming and possess long, sharp claws. A snappers legs are extremely strong and seem to be a bit long for their body size probably due to the relatively small size of their shell. The small shell does not allow them to pull their head, legs and tail all the way into their shell as Box turtles can do. Instead, they rely on pure bone-crushing power to fend off enemy attacks--and once a Snapping Turtle is fully grown, almost nothing bothers them except possibly for large Alligators. In the water they are usually passive and will bury up in the mud if stepped on or quickly flee. If cornered on land it's a different story, they can be quite defensive--often standing up high as they can with jaws open and lunge and strike repeatedly. These turtles mean business and will bite if cornered. If you are bitten by a snapper you will suffer injuries...large ones can even sever fingers! But it's an old tale of folklore that they won't let go until the thunder rolls.
Above Photo by National Geographic Photographer George Grall from Nationalgeographic.com
Snapping turtles are beautiful and passive under water but if you encounter a Snapping turtle on land it is best to leave to be. If it is crossing a road or other area that could be dangerous for the turtle, please carefully pick it up using its tail as a handle and move it quickly to the side of the road that it was heading toward. If it is a large turtle you may need assistance and should wear thick leather gloves.
These large aquatic turtles can be found from Southern Canada south to Mexico and from the Atlantic coast west to the Rocky Mountains. They can be found almost anywhere there is permanant fresh water and can sometimes even be found in brackish water. Seldom will you see one basking on logs as other turtles do but I just happened to be in the right place at the right time and took the below photo of one doing just that.
They seem prefer to remain totally submerged save for the end of their nose when taking a breath of air, when the lure of a food item is just to good to pass up and when nesting females coming ashore to lay eggs. These turtles can attain large sizes--up to 50+ lbs--and ages of up to a century. They will eat almost anything that moves but also eat carrion and vegetation--I once found one eating grapes directly from an arbor!! In some areas these turtles are frequently used in the making of soups and stews. I have eaten Snapping Turtle meat myself--but I wouldn't do it again!
To go back to the Snake Game click:HERE
As you can see from the picture above, they have a large head with a knife-like beak, small eyes and a powerful neck. Their carapace, or upper shell, can range in color from almost black to a light brown with three well-defined longitudinal "keels". These keels wear down as the turtle ages and the Carapace will often be quite smooth in older turtles.
Often, in swampy areas, the carapace of an older turtle will be covered with moss and algae--this not only helps camouflage the turtle under water but also sheds light on the origin of some of the Snapping Turtle's common names--"old mossy" and "moss back". The trailing edge of the Carapace and the top of the tail are serrated like a saw. The tail of a Snapping Turtle is much longer and muscular than most turtles and can be used if you need to pick smaller turtles up--but not a larger one as it can damage the nerves and bones of the tail and injure the animal. The Snapping turtle's skin is usually grayish to brown/black in color--often with lighter spots and stippling and leathery to the touch. Their feet are webbed for swimming and possess long, sharp claws. A snappers legs are extremely strong and seem to be a bit long for their body size probably due to the relatively small size of their shell. The small shell does not allow them to pull their head, legs and tail all the way into their shell as Box turtles can do. Instead, they rely on pure bone-crushing power to fend off enemy attacks--and once a Snapping Turtle is fully grown, almost nothing bothers them except possibly for large Alligators. In the water they are usually passive and will bury up in the mud if stepped on or quickly flee. If cornered on land it's a different story, they can be quite defensive--often standing up high as they can with jaws open and lunge and strike repeatedly. These turtles mean business and will bite if cornered. If you are bitten by a snapper you will suffer injuries...large ones can even sever fingers! But it's an old tale of folklore that they won't let go until the thunder rolls.
Above Photo by National Geographic Photographer George Grall from Nationalgeographic.com
Snapping turtles are beautiful and passive under water but if you encounter a Snapping turtle on land it is best to leave to be. If it is crossing a road or other area that could be dangerous for the turtle, please carefully pick it up using its tail as a handle and move it quickly to the side of the road that it was heading toward. If it is a large turtle you may need assistance and should wear thick leather gloves.
These large aquatic turtles can be found from Southern Canada south to Mexico and from the Atlantic coast west to the Rocky Mountains. They can be found almost anywhere there is permanant fresh water and can sometimes even be found in brackish water. Seldom will you see one basking on logs as other turtles do but I just happened to be in the right place at the right time and took the below photo of one doing just that.
They seem prefer to remain totally submerged save for the end of their nose when taking a breath of air, when the lure of a food item is just to good to pass up and when nesting females coming ashore to lay eggs. These turtles can attain large sizes--up to 50+ lbs--and ages of up to a century. They will eat almost anything that moves but also eat carrion and vegetation--I once found one eating grapes directly from an arbor!! In some areas these turtles are frequently used in the making of soups and stews. I have eaten Snapping Turtle meat myself--but I wouldn't do it again!
To go back to the Snake Game click:HERE
Above Photo by National Geographic Photographer George Grall from Nationalgeographic.com
Snapping turtles are beautiful and passive under water but if you encounter a Snapping turtle on land it is best to leave to be. If it is crossing a road or other area that could be dangerous for the turtle, please carefully pick it up using its tail as a handle and move it quickly to the side of the road that it was heading toward. If it is a large turtle you may need assistance and should wear thick leather gloves.
These large aquatic turtles can be found from Southern Canada south to Mexico and from the Atlantic coast west to the Rocky Mountains. They can be found almost anywhere there is permanant fresh water and can sometimes even be found in brackish water. Seldom will you see one basking on logs as other turtles do but I just happened to be in the right place at the right time and took the below photo of one doing just that.
They seem prefer to remain totally submerged save for the end of their nose when taking a breath of air, when the lure of a food item is just to good to pass up and when nesting females coming ashore to lay eggs. These turtles can attain large sizes--up to 50+ lbs--and ages of up to a century. They will eat almost anything that moves but also eat carrion and vegetation--I once found one eating grapes directly from an arbor!! In some areas these turtles are frequently used in the making of soups and stews. I have eaten Snapping Turtle meat myself--but I wouldn't do it again!
To go back to the Snake Game click:HERE
These large aquatic turtles can be found from Southern Canada south to Mexico and from the Atlantic coast west to the Rocky Mountains. They can be found almost anywhere there is permanant fresh water and can sometimes even be found in brackish water. Seldom will you see one basking on logs as other turtles do but I just happened to be in the right place at the right time and took the below photo of one doing just that.
They seem prefer to remain totally submerged save for the end of their nose when taking a breath of air, when the lure of a food item is just to good to pass up and when nesting females coming ashore to lay eggs. These turtles can attain large sizes--up to 50+ lbs--and ages of up to a century. They will eat almost anything that moves but also eat carrion and vegetation--I once found one eating grapes directly from an arbor!! In some areas these turtles are frequently used in the making of soups and stews. I have eaten Snapping Turtle meat myself--but I wouldn't do it again!
To go back to the Snake Game click:HERE