If you see a snapper out of water this time of year it is probably a
female looking for a site to lay her eggs. I see them fairly frequently
on roads next to the swamps, brakes and bayous here in Louisiana. A
real treat is when an alligator snapper makes an appearance. To
paraphrase Crocodile Dundee, "now this is a turtle!"
Jerry Liles
Paul Braun wrote:
>Wayne Culberson wrote:
>
>
>>My wife and I were travelling through a stretch of wilderness Sunday
>>afternoon, coming home from a funeral, when we saw this one as it was
>>crossing the road. Jean was reluctant to get too close, but I needed
>>something in the picture for scale. You don't see them much bigger than this
>>in our neck of the woods. I've never been able to get a good picture of a
>>turtle, but this is my latest effort.. Shooting from above doesn't seem to
>>do it, and front on gives DOF problems. It was raining, and I didn't have a
>>polarizer with me to cut down on reflections. I sometimes turn them over to
>>get a picture from the bottom, but I hesitated to nudge this fellow over
>>with my foot as I thought he might take a chunk out of the dress shoe I was
>>wearing.
>>
>>
>>
>That's quite possible....
>
>That's your classic Chelydra Serpentina, or common American snapper.
>That's definitely a full adult, a little bigger than my oldest one,
>Zaphod. They're mostly aquatic, so this guy was on his way from one
>pond to another.
>
>The way to pick them up is by the base of the tail, but depending on the
>turtle's weight it may damage the tail vertebrae, so unless it's in
>immediate danger, best to just let him move on his own. They're a lot
>more aggressive when they're out of water.
>
>Mine are both captive-bred and very tame. The smaller one is 6" long,
>and I've had him since he was hatched.
>
>
>
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