Mom Common Snapping TurtleMay 30, 2010




Monday, 24 May 2010, appeared to be common snapping turtle Mother's Day. I had come across three nesting moms on my walk through the Toftrees game land.

Below is the first one - and the largest, her shell being easily over 12 inches long.

 
Mom snapping turtle
 
  Mom snapper withdrew her head into her shell (or carapace, if one wishes to be formal) as I approached (but keeping around ten feet, or three meters, between the turtle and me - why interrupt her egg laying?).
 
Mom snapping turtle
 
  The third mom snapper seemed to pick a particularly good place for her eggs, so I'll keep a watch for baby snappers, who should arrive in a couple of months.

Photography note: The photos were taken with a Pentax K20D and the SMC-DA 55-300mm lens.  




Mom snapping turtles (2011)   ||   Earlier snapping turtle and eastern painted turtle photos

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