Senin, 07 April 2008

Snapping Turtle

Snapping Turtle
Chelydra serpentina serpentina (Linnaeus)
The snapper is our biggest freshwater turtle, up to 35 cm shell length. Recognize it by its size, its muscular limbs and long tail or by the sawtooth back edge of its carapace. Colour usually looks greenish-gray or dark green because of algae growing on the carapace. Underneath, the plastron is much smaller than the carapace, so this turtle cannot protect itself by drawing into its shell. It looks like a size 10 turtle in a size 6 shell!

This, plus its slowness on dry land, explains the snapper's aggressive behaviour when threatened - it cannot run or hide, so its only defence is attack. If molested, it will lunge forward with a neck that can reach halfway back to its tail, and cause a painful bite. In water, snappers are shy of humans and will swim away quietly. They only come out on land in late June and early July to dig a nest and lay eggs.
Leave them alone Snappers frequent shallow lakes and streams with lots of plants. They eat fish, amphibians, and some bigger and smaller creatures located with their especially keen sense of smell. Unlike Painted Turtles, they are rarely seen out of the water basking in the sun.
They hibernate underwater in winter.

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