With summer’s arrival, more cold-blooded creatures are making themselves noticed. All of the frogs and toads have started or finished their courtship calls, and some waterways have tadpoles from earlier breeding species. Snakes of all types have been basking and hunting for prey. Also visible this time of year, especially to fishermen and motorists, are snapping turtles on the water or crossing roads.

The common snapping turtle (Chelydra serpentina) can be seen in waterways throughout our region. They can grow to over two feet long and live as long as 40 years or so. They are nocturnal, but they also are seen during the day, even occasionally basking in the sun in some lakes. They can also be spotted in the Delaware River, especially along flat water sections. Snapping turtles are omnivorous; their diet includes everything from duckweed to scavenged fish. Swimmers have nothing to fear from snapping turtles; they are shy and do not bite. However, if a snapping turtle is improperly handled on land, it can inflict a painful bite.

Snapping turtles found on land or crossing roadways are usually females travelling to or from their nests; they lay 20 to 40 eggs in a hole away from the water’s edge, bury the eggs and then return to the water. When they try to cross roads, they are in harm’s way due to cars. If you see one on the road and try to move it, use care as they will bite anything within reach of their mouth. A shovel can be used to move the turtle off the road; move it to the side of the road in the direction headed so it doesn’t just try and cross the road again. It can be lifted by grasping the rear part of its carapace near the rear legs. Never lift a snapping turtle by its tail; the suspended weight will result in injury to the turtle’s spinal column. A good instructional video from the Toronto Zoo on several methods of rescuing turtles from the road can be found here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lgd_B6iKPxU.