There was a reason not to pick up the grass in front of the turtle's face........
Joan and I enjoyed a nice drive along the Mississippi River all the way up into Minnesota today. We were looking for all kinds of migrating birds between Harpers Ferry, Iowa and Brownsville, Minnesota. We had some good sightings but the most impressive encounter was this huge turtle that we found on top of the levee that connects lock & dam #9 with the Iowa side of the Mississippi. Our little dog Cooper almost learned it the hard way why this big turtle is called a Common Snapping Turtle. It really snapped at him very fast as he approached the motionless critter. Luckily he was fast enough to avoid its bite, but it would have been a mess otherwise. I learned my lesson quickly and used the full zoom of 600 mm for making some clicks. The turtle had just finished the steep climb from the south side of the levee and was probably on its way to the other side. They travel extensively over land to reach new habits or to lay eggs. When out of the water the snapping turtle is noted for its combative disposition, while in the water they are likely to flee and hide in sediment (source: Wikipedia). Well, after today Cooper and both of us have no doubt that every word about this species in this encyclopedia is true…😉