NATURE CLICKS #530 - COMMON SNAPPING TURTLE

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…

I WISH…

Spiny Softshell Turtle, Mississippi River Museum and Aquarium, Dubuque, Iowa

… I can find a Spiny Softshell Turtle one of these days out in the great outdoors. This one is a resident of the Mississippi River Museum and Aquarium in Dubuque, Iowa. More “summer fun” with the grandkids again today and a visit of this great museum is always on the agenda when they visit us.

The softshell turtle’s soft, rubbery, and flat shell makes it easy to distinguish them from other turtles . The long and piglike nose gives the turtle a unique appearance. They are among my favorite critters in the museum and when the day comes I find one in the wild, you will hear from a very happy photographer…

Nikon D750, Nikkor 70-200mm / f4 @ 200 mm, 1/250 s, f/4, ISO 400

NATURE CLICKS #366 - COMMON SNAPPING TURTLE

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…😉