MichaelJ
Member
Hello, this Snapping Turtle came out of our lake today to lay eggs. I tried not to disturb it so I couldn't get much too closer with my phone camera.
Judging from the size of the carapace (shell) being about 17-18 inches this lady must be somewhere between 60-80 years old - pretty amazing to think she's being doing this seasonally for some 50 odd years (they mature around 10-15 years old) likely in or around the same location every year.... It took her several hours to dig a hole in the lawn and lay the eggs before making the journey back to the lake. The eggs should hatch in about 90 days. We usually see hatchlings in the late summer / early fall. Mostly from Snapping and Painted turtles.
Cheers,
Michael
Judging from the size of the carapace (shell) being about 17-18 inches this lady must be somewhere between 60-80 years old - pretty amazing to think she's being doing this seasonally for some 50 odd years (they mature around 10-15 years old) likely in or around the same location every year.... It took her several hours to dig a hole in the lawn and lay the eggs before making the journey back to the lake. The eggs should hatch in about 90 days. We usually see hatchlings in the late summer / early fall. Mostly from Snapping and Painted turtles.
Cheers,
Michael
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