On thursday, our class headed to James Island in order to see what 'bounty' our turtle traps had yielded us. We were elated to find about 16 turtles, but the most exciting catch of all was Chelydra serpentina; the 32 inch snapping turtle who came close nipping a classmate's finger. These turtles have a reputation for being aggressive and with good reason! It took a total of 3 students and Dr. Welch to get this turtle out of the trap and into the water without incident. The turtle was easily identifiable. Aside from its repulsive complexion, it had an extremely long tail, 3 distinct keels on the carapace, a large head, and saw teeth on its uper side. The sense of urgency to release the turtle was confirmed when it snapped into the arm of a nearby yellow belly slider. In retaliation the slider bit into the turtles eye. Both injuries were minor and all turtles were rereleased after observation. (Posted by Gabi Oken)
2 comments:
Actually, 32 centimeters. But still a very impressive turtle! (AMW)
And unfortunately, that was the last time we'll ever see him. Nearby residents reported seeing a large turtle floating in the pond.
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