Our farm pond has an ancient inhabitant

[dragoneggs]

Looks like the same snapper from the start of the thread. Pretty cool.



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Whoah!!! this is awesome... just stumbled on this thread and haven't read it but I love turtles. Dream to have my own pond with turtles, etc.

 

[Garandman]

Time to break out the 12 gauge! ~~ Lowell

In the People's Republic of Masachusetts? Not happening.

Cops shot a bear last year in Newton (next to Boston), there are deer on many Boston harbor islands, and we have Coyotes in our neighborhood (next to the harbor). Turkey flocks are commonplace now. Nothing like the 70's, except that large ocean fish stocks are decimated.

 

[DrRod]

I was walking through a marshy spot with my son several years ago and he said, "hey, that rock just moved." I got a long pole and slipped it under the "rock" and pried up a big snapping turtle -- and he was really snapping. It was an impressive sight.

There is a spot in my field about 50 yards up from the creek that is always used by turtles to lay eggs -- same spot every year. Not sure if it is a snapper or other type but I have a question. In the spring, there are always "egg shells" split open and laying around the spot. Is there a way to tell if that is from the young hatching or from predators [like coons] digging them up and eating them? The ground is slightly disturbed or roughed up but could that be from the turtles climbing out?

 

[dave1949]

Great pic!

 

[Dr_Zinj]

There is a spot in my field about 50 yards up from the creek that is always used by turtles to lay eggs -- same spot every year. Not sure if it is a snapper or other type but I have a question. In the spring, there are always "egg shells" split open and laying around the spot. Is there a way to tell if that is from the young hatching or from predators [like coons] digging them up and eating them? The ground is slightly disturbed or roughed up but could that be from the turtles climbing out?

Usually they are the remains after critter dig up the nest and eat them. Normally the shells stay in the ground when the hatchlings break out and dig their way to the surface. Painted turtles take about 60 days from laying to hatching. I harvested a nest in July (stuck them in a kitty litter container filled with sand) to save them from the coons and they hatched out about 11 Sept. Point to remember if you're going to move a nest. Mark the eggs before you move them so you know which side is up. (A dot with a black magic marker works fine) If they get turned over, it will kill the embryos for some reason.