Breeding Snapping Turtles

A couple weeks ago at the Dukes Brook bird blind at Duke Farms, I didn't see birds but saw "something weird" going on in the water.

I'd see something large repeatedly emerge from and submerge into the water. It took a while for me to convince myself this was due to one/more Common Snapping Turtles as opposed to some odd largish fish (European Carp?) activity.

Once I convinced myself this was snapping turtle activity, I still wasn't sure what was going on. Was a snapping turtle attacking something, either another turtle, or bird, or even something like a beaver or otter? Well, there was no sign of blood in the water, and given a snapping turtle's ability to inflict damage it seemed unlikely that one would be involved in a fight for any length of time without one combatant or another getting wounded.

I'm now of the belief that I was seeing Common Snapping Turtles mating in the water, surfacing for breath and positioning. And I've heard that snapping turtles will mate in the water. Still, my pictures and video are pretty PG, as it wasn't completely clear what was going on while I was there. (Even when they settled into shallow water I'd rarely see more than half a turtle.)

If all goes well, the female will probably lay about 25 eggs outside the water, possibly next spring.

June 11, 2022 at Duke Farms
Photo 209944515, (c) jpviolette, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)

June 11, 2022 at Duke Farms
Photo 209944730, (c) jpviolette, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)

June 11, 2022 at Duke Farms
Photo 209944749, (c) jpviolette, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)


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