Common Snapping Turtle, Bankston County Park, Eastern Iowa
Today I had quite a few interesting wildlife encounters but not all of them can be documented with the camera. This one was easy, a good size Snapping Turtle rested right on the grassy trail in Bankston County Park while I walked our dog Cooper. A little dog and a snapping turtle may not always go well together, so I made sure he kept a safe distance. Snapping Turtles are not dangerous but on land they will defend themselves and snap if they feel threatened.
During these walks with the dog I almost always take the camera with me but not a variety of lenses. Today the Nikkor Z 24-70, f/4 was my choice. A little short for wildlife and with only 70 mm maximum focal length I had to go on my knees and get really close to the turtle. This snapper lives probably not in the little river that runs through this valley but rather in the nearby pond or even in one of the small pools hidden in the woods.
Here is a fact for you to think about, the snapping turtle family evolved in North America, has lived in its wetlands almost unchanged since 90 million years, and has survived the period of mass extinction of the dinosaurs…