| Photo Information |
Copyright: Sangeeta Suresh (san)
![Silver Note Writer [C: 6 W: 0 N: 21]](http://i1.treknature.com/misc/n-n-s.gif) (150) |
| Genre: Animals |
| Medium: Color |
| Date Taken: 2008-06-15 |
| Categories: Reptiles |
| Exposure: f/4.5, 1/125 seconds |
| More Photo Info: [view] |
| Photo Version: Original Version |
| Date Submitted: 2008-06-15 10:04 |
| Viewed: 324 |
| Points: 2 |
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| [Note Guidelines] Photographer's Note |
Hello friends,
Presenting to you the Snapping Turtle. This one was on the road. I think it came out of the creek that flows by in our neighbourhood. Was it frightened of the rising water level in the creek due to the floods....is something we were wondering.
The snapping turtle looks ferocious when you look at it from real close... And it doesnt hesitate a bit to snap at anything or anyone that comes close.
Information from the Wikipedia:
The Common Snapping Turtle (Chelydra serpentina) is a large freshwater turtle of the family Chelydridae. Its natural range extends from southeastern Canada south, west to the Rocky Mountains (and beyond, where introduced), throughout Mexico, and as far south as Ecuador. This species and the larger Alligator Snapping Turtle are both widely referred to as snapping turtles or snappers (though the Common Snapping Turtle, as its name implies, is much more widespread overall).
Common snappers are noted for their pugnacious dispositions when out of the water, their powerful beak-like jaws and their highly mobile head and neck (hence the specific name "serpentina," meaning "snake-like"). In some areas they are hunted heavily for their meat, a popular ingredient in turtle soup. These turtles have lived for up to 39 years in captivity, while the lifespan of wild individuals is estimated to be around 30 years.
Common habitats are shallow ponds, shallow lakes, or streams. Some may inhabit brackish environments, such as estuaries. Common Snapping Turtles sometimes bask -- though rarely observed -- by floating on the surface with only their carapace exposed, though in the northern parts of their range they will also readily bask on fallen logs in early spring. In shallow waters, Common snappers may lie beneath a muddy bottom with only the head exposed, stretching their long necks to the surface for an occasional breath (note that their nostrils are positioned on the very tip of the snout, effectively functioning as snorkels). Snapping turtles are omnivores, consuming both plant and animal matter, and are important aquatic scavengers; but they are also active hunters that prey on anything they can swallow, including many invertebrates, fish, frogs, reptiles (including snakes and smaller turtles), unwary birds and small mammals.
TFL
Regards
San |
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