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#snapping turtle
herpsandbirds · 7 months
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Common Snapping Turtle (Chelydra serpentina), family Cheydridae, in a cypress swamp in the eastern U.S.
photograph by Mac Stone Photography
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thomas--bombadil · 2 years
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A monstrous turtle emerges from the muck.
It’s gigantic.
Look closely - a typically-sized Midwestern turtle sits next to its foot.
It must be close to its size-limit, with a possible 30-inch diameter shell and weighing well in excess of 100 pounds. It’s possible that this beast is 40+ years old.
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fyanimaldiversity · 1 year
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Piebald common snapping turtle (Chelydra serpentina) [x]
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weird-dirt-creature · 10 months
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Pulled off to the size of the road SO fast to get out and take pictures of this enormous handsome guy. Snapping turtles are so cool
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great-and-small · 2 years
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Anyone who works with wildlife will tell you it’s a good thing for wild patients to show hostility towards humans even after a long stay in the hospital, and honestly I think snapping turtles might be the best at this. We surgically repaired this little dude’s broken mandible and provided care in hospital for a few months but bless his heart he never stopped hating my fucking guts. Even with a broken jaw he’d snap at me so viciously whenever I had to give him meds and I love him like a son
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This feisty creature’s implant was removed once he’d healed and he was successfully released back into the wild near where he was found. Good luck out there bud, I sincerely hope every wildlife patient I ever see going forward has your disdain for humans!
(These photos were taken while the patient’s enclosure was being cleaned, and he was never handled without medical or husbandry cause)
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mothc · 10 months
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Found a baby snapper sooo far from the creek so I helped him out.
He was Too small to Snap.
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bethanythebogwitch · 1 month
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Wet Beast Wednesday: alligator snapping turtle
This will be a shorter WBW than usual, as I forgot to prep a post in advance and am writing this on short notice. Today's topic is the alligator snapping turtle, a beast from the bayou almost looks like a dinosaur. Macrochelys temminckii is the only member of its genus and, along with the three members of the genus Chelydra, is one of the four living snapping turtle species. Some scientists suggest splitting it into three species, but this is still a matter of debate. Snapping turtles are large, predatory turtles known for their very sharp beaks, extreme bite forces, and alleged aggressiveness.
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(Image ID: an alligator snapping turtle sitting on gravel. It is a large, brown turtle. Its shall has three spiked ridged running down it. The head is large and angular, with a very sharp beak. It has small, brown eyes. Its mouth is open in a threat display. End ID)
The alligator snapping turtle is one of the largest freshwater turtles in the world, surpassed only by a few species of rare Asian softshells. The alligator snapping turtle can be distinguished from the common snapping turtle, whose range overlaps with that of the alligator snapping turtle, by the three spiky ridges going down its shell. These ridges, along with its powerful jaws, are often compared to those of an alligator, hence the common name. The turtles grow through their entire lives and can reach truly huge sizes. In the wild, adult males (who are larger than females) range between 35 and 80.8 cm (13.8 to 31.8 in) in caprapace (top shell) length and weigh between 8.4 and 80 kg (19 to 176 lbs). Sometimes, a true giant will be found, usually an old male. Reported weights of giant males include 113, 107, and 135 kg (249, 236, 298 lbs). The tail is longer and thicker than in most turtles. The head is large and thick and can deliver bites with a force averaging 159 newtons. This is less than the bite force of the common snapping turtle, but still enough to bite someone's finger off. The inside of the mouth is brownish and the tongue has an appendage that looks like a worm on it. Unlike most turtles, the alligator snapping turtle cannot withdraw into its shell. The plastron (lower shell) covers less of the body than in most species and cannot cover retracted limbs, heads, or tails.
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(Image ID: a close-up of the head of an alligator snapping turtle with its mouth open. The tongue is visible, which has a pink, fleshy appendage that looks like a worm. End ID)
Alligator snapping turtles live in the southeast USA in rovers, streams, and lakes, preferably with deep water. They spend most of their lives in the water, only leaving if in search of a new home or when laying eggs. They are nocturnal, but may still hunt during the day. The turtles are passive ambush predators who sit perfectly still with their mouths open and tongues exposed. The worm-like appendage on the tongue is used to attract prey, which the turtle will bite down on quickly and with extreme force. This is a form of aggressive mimicry. You may be wondering what they eat and the answer is just about anything. Fish, amphibians, and snails appear to be the most common prey, but they will also feed on crayfish, insects, snakes, worms, birds, small mammals, other turtles, and even small alligators. Basically if it can fit in the turtle's mouth, it will be eaten. While not active predators, they will dig up burrows in search of food. They also feed on carrion and will sometimes eat aquatic plants. A turtle can go 50 minutes between breaths and they sit still so much that most individuals will have a thick layer of algae growing on their shells. The algae helps them camouflage as rocks when not moving. Fishermen tales often say that alligator snapping turtles can depopulate all of the fish in a body of water, but this does not appear to be true. Adult alligator snapping turtles have no natural predators while juveniles are eaten by fish, birds, raccoons, and other snapping turtles.
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(Image ID: an alligator snapping turtle underwater in an aquarium. Picture from the Smithsonian's National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute. End ID)
Mating takes place in spring, earlier in the season in more southern climates. Laying takes place around two months later. The females will leave the water and travel around 50 meters inland. The distance is to prevent the eggs from being flooded, which would kill them. She will build a nest in sandy soil and bury the eggs. No further care is provided. Clutches consist of between 8 and 60 eggs at a time. After 100-140 days, the eggs hatch. The hatchlings are fully independent and must make their own way in life. The sex of the hatchlings is determined by the temperature of the soil they are incubated in. Soil of 29-30 degrees C (84.2 to 86 F) results in primarily females, 25 to 27 C (77 to 80.6 F), results in primarily males, and anything in between results in a mix. Individuals become sexually mature after about 11-12 years. The maximum lifespan of wild turtles is unknown, but individuals in captivity can live over a century.
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(Image ID: two baby alligator snapping turtles held in a person's hand. They are smaller than the person's palm, but otherwise look no different than the adults. One is on its back, displaying the small plastron. End ID)
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(Image ID: alligator snapping turtles hatching in captivity. The eggs are small white spheres that look like ping-pong balls. The number 19 has been written on them in what appears to be sharpie. Several of the eggs have already hatched. In the middle of the picture, a turtle is pertially emerged from its egg. End ID
Alligator snapping turtles are classified as vulnerable by the IUCN. Their primary threat is habitat loss as wetlands are drained and dammed. They are also hunted and used as food by humans. This is common enough that some states have had to pass laws protecting the turtles. Despite being characterized as aggressive, alligator snapping turtles rarely attack humans and only in self-defense. Because they cannot retract into their shells, the turtles defend themselves by facing a potential threat with their mouths open as a warning. This has furthered its reputation as an aggressive animal. Because the turtles take so long to reproduce, restoring populations is a very slow process. Alligator snapping turtles are sometimes used as pets, though they need expert care due to their sheer size and the potential danger of handling them. Use in the pet trade has resulted in the turtles being introduced outside of their native range. They have become an invasive species on some places, notably in southern Africa.
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(Image ID: an alligator snapping turtle next to a human man. The human is holding it up by the front of the shell to show its size. End ID)
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shadyufo · 5 months
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Cryptids & Creatures of Folklore Drawtober Day 22 — The Beast of Busco
In 1898, Oscar Fulk reported seeing a truly gigantic snapping turtle that was living in a seven-acre lake on his farm near Churubusco, Indiana. Not much else was seen of the turtle until 1948 when two people fishing on the lake claimed to have seen it. The new property owner at the time also said he had witnessed the monstrous turtle. It was nicknamed The Beast of Busco or "Oscar" in honor of the man who first claimed to have seen it. Attempts were made to dive in the lake and even drain all of the water out in search of Oscar but they all failed and he was never found.
The town of Churubusco celebrates Oscar the Turtle every June with their Turtle Days festival.
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mothsperhour · 4 months
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Some baby common snapping turtles (Chelydra serpentina) I helped cross a road a few years ago. They all still had their egg tooths so must of been freshly hatched.
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vintagewildlife · 13 days
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Snapping turtle By: Arline Strong From: Natural History Magazine 1962
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bwwhitney · 1 month
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Turtle portrait
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herpsandbirds · 8 months
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Common Snapping Turtle (Chelydra serpentina), family Chelydridae, eastern United States
Photograph by Sam Stukel
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rupertbbare · 1 year
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Baby Snapping Turtle
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swainathan · 2 months
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Drednaw, cruising outside Wedgehurst
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Idk about anyone else, but I love it when pokemon are presented as animals going about their day
Linktree
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honeymilkbubbletea · 2 years
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H-he baby 🥺
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insirisarts · 1 year
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OOOoo~ scarry gay turtle man~
also, I can't believe you guys haven't taken the chance to give Bowser Turtle feet for hands (this specifically being alligator snapping turtle.)
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