Common Snapping Turtle

 Common Snapping Turtle Hatchling

The Common Snapping Turtle hatchling shown in the photo above was found on 10 July 2023 in New Brunswick on the portage between the Musquash watershed and the southern part of Loch Alva. I was participating in the 2023 Biota conducted by the New Brunswick Museum and we were hiking out after a full day of botany survey around Loch Alva. The area was sandy and gravelly and on the trail was a large puddle about 6 inches (15 cm) deep. As I stepped over it I noticed dark creatures moving in the water that turned out to be two Common Snapping Turtle hatchlings. They may have been confused, thinking they had found the lake. After photographing one I returned it to the puddle with its hatch mate, hoping they would eventually find their way to the lake. 

In the photos above and below, notice the dark black colour of the head and legs, the pointed snout and the closeness of the eyes to the snout. The carapace was soft and showed smears of mud. The turtle was about 4 to 5 inches long although I did not actually measure it. The other hatchling looked the same and also appeared lively.

 Common Snapping Turtle Hatchling

These hatchlings undoubtedly hatched shortly before we found them from a nest buried in a sandy bank nearby. See the photo below of an adult female who buried herself in a sand bank and was laying her eggs.  (The photos below are of a nesting area on the shores of Grand Lake.)

  Common Snapping Turtle Female Laying Eggs

About 20 to 40 eggs are laid by the female who carefully buries them in the warm sand before leaving to resume her normal activities in the pond. The eggs are round and about the size of pingpong balls. The shells are bluish white in colour and are leathery. See the photo below of a nest of a Common Snapping Turtle showing eggs.

  Common Snapping Turtle Eggs in Nest

The photo below shows a sand dune along the shores of Grand Lake, NB, and you can see adult female turtles active at their nesting area. I visited this area and you could see some laying and some moving about the surface. Unfortunately there were several nests that had been predated, probably by raccoons. There were empty egg shells scattered about.

 Common Snapping Turtles on Nesting Ground

The warmth of the sand on these exposed banks causes the eggs to hatch. The female usually lays the eggs in May and June. The time it takes depends on the temperature and humidity. It can take as much as 60 to 90 days to hatch. In our example above, it obviously took less time than that. 

Let’s backtrack now to the general life history of the Common Snapping Turtle. That will bring us up to the finding of hatchlings on their way to the mother pond. 

The Common Snapping Turtle is a species of freshwater turtle in the family of Chelydridae. It is found in New Brunswick and is our largest land turtle.  Sea turtles can be much larger. The species range extends from southern Alberta east to Nova Scotia and south to the Gulf of Mexico and into central Texas. These turtles are found in permanent fresh water ponds, lakes and rivers. 

 Adult Common Snapping Turtle  [Internet Photo]

What does this special turtle look like? See the internet photo above which shows an adult. Actually if you meet an adult in real life, it will look more ferocious than this! The Snapping Turtle can be large. The carapace (shell) of adults can grow up to 14 inches long (20-36 cm) and they can weigh up to 35 lbs (16 kg). Males can be larger than females. The carapace is well armoured and shows a sharply toothed rear edge. Good identifying features are the small plastron (underneath part of the carapace), the pointed snout and the spikes on the tail. The colour varies from dark brown, tan, gray to almost black. 

I once visited a pond in New York State where a friend caught a very large Snapping Turtle. It weighed at least 30 lbs and had a carapace at least 12 inches long. When you add the head and tail to the measurement, you are seeing a very big turtle!

Common Snapping Turtles can live to be 50 to 100 years old! Studies have shown that they often return to the same nesting area each year. Adults do not breed until they are about 20 years old. That leaves a long time for young turtles to live and move around their habitat before they can reproduce. In winter they hibernate on the bottom of ponds.

What do they eat? Their diet is diverse. They consume carrion, aquatic invertebrates, small vertebrates and aquatic plants. They will take fish, small waterfowl, and frogs.

So, is their population stable? Well, they are declining. Being our ‘toughest’ turtle that is a little surprising. One cause is predation at the nest on the eggs as described above and some mortality of hatchlings as they make their way to the pond. If we had been a coyote or fox when we found the two hatchlings in the puddle, they certainly would not have made it. Mortality of adults in their water habitat is fairly small. They have no predators. Some mortality is caused by fishers who mistakenly catch them in their nets and on lines. Please carefully remove the turtles and safely return them to the water. 

What causes the most mortality? During breeding season, turtles are on the move. This brings adults out of their water habitats and onto roads, trails, agricultural areas, etc. They are seeking exposed sandy areas in which to make their nests. Shoulders of roads, bridges, and railways make good nesting areas in their eyes. Here humans cause the most significant mortality of this species. Many adults get killed by motor vehicles and agricultural machinery each year. I suspect most of us have seen turtles on the road in the late spring and early summer. I certainly have. One example was a dead Snapping Turtle on Highway 3 near Lawrence Station. It had left the Magaguadavic watershed to find a sandy nesting area. With increased 4-wheeler traffic in our wilderness areas, human-caused mortality will only increase. Other enemies of this species are foxes, coyotes, skunks, minks, fishers, raccoons, crows, herons, hawks, owls, bullfrogs, fish and snakes.

What do you do if you find a Snapping Turtle on the roadway or trail or in danger in some other place? It is not wise to try to pick it up without knowing that they can inflict a severe bite. A large Snapper is capable of biting off a finger. Leather gloves would be a definite asset. The experts advise to not try to push or scoot the turtle across the pavement of the roadway. That would cause abrasion wounds on their tender underside. Large specimens can be ‘wheel barrowed’ across the road. You can safely raise the turtle by its tail end and walk it on its front feet off the road. Carefully place your hands on each side of the tail and grab the carapace and gently lift it up so its hind legs are free and it will walk along on its front feet. I haven’t done this but apparently it works!.  Do not place your hands farther forward than this because the turtle can reach you with its mouth!   Take it to the area to which it was headed. 

The biggest cause of mortality of this species is human influence. We can do our part by saving any individuals we find in dangerous circumstances. Knowing that it takes many years before this species can even reproduce and the one you find has probably survived many dangers already, it behooves us to be diligent about saving and protecting it. Let’s be good citizens and protect all members of our wild fauna.  Let's give that Snapper a chance to reach 100 years!

[All photos in this post were taken by B. Schneider except the one mentioned as from the Internet].