Common snapping turtle

In the water a snapping turtle spends most of its time buried in mud with only its eyes and nostrils showing, and it avoids people. On land it cannot pull itself into its small shell, so it defends itself by lunging and biting. Females travel from the water in late spring to dig nests in sunny soil, often in yards and road verges.

Snapping turtles are among the most important scavengers in fresh water, clearing dead fish and animals, and they keep populations of fish, crayfish and snails in check. They can live for decades, and a pond with a big snapper in it is usually a healthy one.

Nest — Dug by the female in open, sunny soil
Eggs — Usually 20 to 40, round like table-tennis balls
Incubation — About 80 to 90 days; temperature decides each hatchling's sex
Hatchlings — About 3 cm long; some stay in the nest over winter
Maturity — At about 8 to 15 years
Lifespan — Wild snapping turtles over 40 years old are recorded

• To help one across a road, push it gently from behind with a car mat, or lift it by the back edge of the shell, and set it down on the side it was heading for; never lift it by the tail, which can injure its spine, and never move it somewhere else.
• Keep hands well away from the front of the shell. The neck reaches farther back than it looks.
• A snapping turtle nesting in a yard is harmless if left alone, and the young leave for water on their own.

• Snapping turtles attack swimmers. In the water they avoid people; they snap on land only because they cannot hide inside their shell.
• A snapping turtle can be carried safely by its tail. Lifting one by the tail can dislocate the vertebrae.

• Alligator snapping turtle
• Suwannee alligator snapping turtle
• Eastern musk turtle