Nature Says It All

Snapping Turtle

(Chelydra serpentina)

The first time I saw a snapping turtle was when I was walking around Stricker Pond with a friend. The snapper was well camouflaged on the large tree branch that had fallen into the water. We looked in wonder at the size and make up of it. It was an experience we both enjoyed. Have you seen a snapping turtle?

The snapper is the biggest and weighs the most of any turtle in Wisconsin. The body of the snapper (including the head) is too large for it to retract into its shell. They spend up to 3 hours under water and the rest of the time can be found on hanging onto logs so that the sun can warm them up. Another time my husband and I went to Stricker Pond, we saw a snapping turtle that was swimming just under the surface of the water. Now that was fun to see! Turns out that, when the snapping turtle swims at the surface, it is there to get rays of sunshine to warm them up.

Snapping turtles are at the top of the food chain in the lakes and ponds it lives in. Although they have no teeth, they have very strong jaws and claws. Like ducks, their feet are webbed. What is their diet? They enjoy birds, fish, insects, plants and more. It enjoys lying in wait for the food to come to them. Turns out that they need to eat while in the water because they need the pressure of the water. Unlike humans, the snapping turtle can go days without eating and two weeks before taking a drink of water.

Recently we returned to the pond and saw this beautiful snapping turtle just under the water. The water was clear and it was able to get sun. We watched it for a bit of a time before it hid in the grasses just under the water ahead of where it was. What a wonderful experience that was! See how its head it stretched out with its eyes and nose sticking out of the water and the long tail curled at the bottom of the photo. This was a smaller version of the larger one we had seen at the pond and it was also much more colorful than the larger one.

They are between 8 and 18 inches long and can weight up to 35 pounds. Have you seen its tail? It's pretty long and jagged. The snapping turtle can live 30 years. Their lungs are not strong enough to breathe in water but they can hold their breathe for a period of time.

We went back to the pond yesterday where we saw five baby snapping turtles! Here is one (to the left) and another down to the right. Sighting babies was a dream come true.

As we build more homes and businesses, taking away farms and parks, we are taking away homes where turtles and birds live. Erosion and pollution add to the mix. We are causing havoc on the beautiful life that is a pond. Whenever you drive through what used to be the countryside and see homes and businesses, I hope you will think about what the price was for the city/town. By building, trees and grass were destroyed causing more heat and a lesser quality of air. Think about this whenever you think you need a new home or want to build in the country for any reason.

The snapping turtle is an important part of our ecosystem. Visit your local pond and see if you find a snapping turtle. It is a sight to behold!