Snapping Turtles: Everything You Need To Know!
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- Опубликовано: 25 июн 2024
- The largest freshwater turtles found in most of North America, snapping turtles are some of the most unique and ecologically important animals in our freshwater ecosystems. Learn what snapping turtles eat, how they live, and what you can to to help them out in this episode of The Wild Report!
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If you've made it this far in the description, remember to be safe when creature adventuring! Most wild animals can cause injury if harassed, and I do not recommend attempting to capture any creatures without purpose and practice. The reason that I interact with wildlife is to produce these educational videos, and I have years of zoology experience under my belt. Also, I always ask permission from a land owner before exploring on their property, and you should do the same.
Keep adventuring everywhere, and keep your adventures safe at all times!
-Ben Zino
"How many are your works, Lord? In wisdom you made them all, the earth is full of your creatures."
Psalms 104:24
#wildlife #turtle #reptiles
You can see how far their neck reaches around the back, so make sure if you're going to move one, only grab the back 1/3 of it's shell.
Yup, don't want to get a finger stuck in that beak!
I’ve found that, with the larger ones, you can position a hand underneath between the in hind legs. Really helps to add a lot of stability when holding the big girls!
Everyone says 40% but out of experience I agree more like 1/3
@@torstenrenner9941I agree. I always support them by their plastron. They generally don’t even get defensive if you pick them up this way. Fun fact, if you know how to interact with them they are pretty easy to socialize. The bite isn’t as bad as people think anyway. They do not produce 2K lbs psi. More like 350 lbs. Humans have more bite force.
@@TheWildReportOfficial Acts 2:38 Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.
1 corinthians 3:16 Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?
A snapping turtle laid eggs by my driveway in southwestern Michigan on June 6th. 28 turtles hatched on August 14. 69 days. How I saved from predators: Once the mother left, I cut a square of tight wire fencing and laid brick pavers on each side of the square but touching each other. A week ago I pushed up the middle of the wire so there was enough clearance for them to move. Checked a few times a day starting a week before they were born. After about an hour of admiring, my five year old grandson and I took them to a nearby stream. We both enjoyed the experience.
Beautiful
@Katheryn. You should’ve named it either Donatello or Raphael.
I can tell you are extremely passionate about these animals, and I greatly respect your emphasis of the perils they face from vehicles. The amount all sorts of species of turtles/tortoises I've seen killed by cars is so depressing, and many people have a bias towards "ugly", "gross" animals, typically reptiles and arthropods which makes it even more important to get this message out. Keep up the great work.
Thanks so much for the kind words, wildlife conservation is definitely my passion and I'm so glad that shines through in my content!
I like this dude just bashing into the water and grab the turtle and never think that this turtle can bite his arm off in instant.
The worst thing that would happen would be a damaged finger, snappers can't take arms (fortunately for me).
One of the most underrated species in North America---incredibly resilient.
They are so incredible!
One of my favorites. I've found 3 ever that I would put over 40 ibs, absolute units! The biggest was over a yard head to tail, in Minnesota. Couldn't catch it. Just found 2 20ibers in north Texas today in what amounts to a glorified puddle. Awesome animals.
Hey Ben !
We had a new broom in the van and used it to get a snapping turtle off the road. Was not going to pick it up !
Gently did it !
Love what you show us !
Hey that's a great idea, great way to give them a gentle nudge from a safe distance!
ha ha I've done it with a broom twice now...but gonna try the 1/3 back rule next time!
Love me some mud dragons! I'm glad you added these amazing creatures to your Everything You Need to Know series! Awesome encounter, great conservational message.
Thanks Spencer, glad you enjoyed! I've been meaning to make this style of video about these guys forever but as you know they can be challenging to find and catch here in the Piedmont.
Thanks for another great video! I moved to NC 5 years ago and your videos have really helped me get over my fear of snakes, especially the Copper Head. Keep up the great content!
This is the first video I've seen of yours. I'm really impressed. Hard to find good biology/ecology content like this online. Keep it up!
Very good video. A lot of info and not a lot of boring nonsense. 🐢
Great video’s as always thanks for the knowledge and keep making these videos ! Awesome bro
I just hit the subscribe button after watching a Hurricane Ian video of a chaser saving a normal turtle and seeing the comments saying to never touch snapping turtles. Thanks for showing how to do it and describing them so well. Great job!
Welcome aboard, glad you enjoyed the video!
Subscribed. Never stop what you do!
The cahonies on this man jumping headlong into a pond with this beast 😅
Really impressive turtle, I definitely will try and scoot any along I see alongside the road trying to get across...though probably not by picking them up haha.
I love your videos. I always learn something new. Keep it up!!
Wow! I love the way you started off this video with the dive to catch the turtle -- then followed up with a really interesting description of the animal. I have been binging on videos for the past few hours and this was, minute for minute, the most interesting and informative. Very, very well done! 👍👍
Well that's great news, thanks for the positive feedback!
I helped a snapping turtle cross the road up in mooresville and I grabbed lower side like you said ! Thanks to you man I kept all my fingers !!
That is awesome, thanks for helping out!
Excellent video - thanks for sharing
Glad you enjoyed it!
Thanks for making this content
That was quite a catch Ben, and a nice sized turtle! I love snapping turtles, and that was a really calm one from what I could tell. I liked your discussion about the value of protecting big adult turtles and their role in maintaining the species, that's a good way to explain why overhunting is so detrimental. Great work!
- Harrison and Evan
I live in North Carolina and my neighborhood pond has many turtles includimg snappers. One of which will swim to the same little area and greet me every day. It is easily as large as this one
Very informative video! Great catch at the beginning
Thanks!
Nice job, Ben! Love these mud dragons!
Thanks man!
Great job! Keep up the conservation work.
Thanks, will do!
Awesome! Great video!
Thank you!
Dude.... You just dove head first after something that can take fingers off!!!
Do not try this at home.
Really cool animals though, glad to see a big one.
Haha yeah do not attempt at home should have been at the beginning xD She was a huge girl, so lucky to have spotted her!
One of the best intros to a video I've ever seen 😂👏🏼👏🏼
Thanks Matt, much appreciated :)
I subbed just based on that 10/10 dive into the water and without skipping a beat “hey everybody” great video
Fantastic, glad to have you here on the channel!
What a great video! THANK YOU!!!!
Glad you enjoyed it!
I never planned on picking up a snapping turtle before this moment
But you convinced me and I will if I ever see one tossing the road. Thanks!
🤣 that intro! Took one for the team on that one. Oh, dang, I didn't know you took a bite from one. Holy moly! Good info in this one, Ben. Keep rockin' that conservation message.
Haha it was pretty hot outside so a swim in the pond wasn't the worst thing ever. Also thank you, will do!
Good size snapper there. We have lots of them here in TN. Off topic but I ran across a beautiful copperhead today. Got some nice images. Great video!
Those are amazing creatures - that thing looks like it could snap your arm off - pretty brave diving into that murky water to wrangle that thing out!!!
They are amazing, and actually extremely docile in the water. Once you take them out of the water is when they get snappy.
@@richardhincemon9423 Oh wow, I'll go check it out now!
@@TheWildReportOfficial there was a 86 pound caught in South Carolina. Google 86 lb monster Turtle caught in South Carolina- ebony gentleman RUclips. They can get really big hope you find one over a hundred pounds! LOL
Great job!
Great video. I'll bet a lot of people have been bitten by underestimating how long their neck is. It looked like it got pretty close to you a couple of times
I thought I saw u today at Costco in moorseville. I wasn’t sure if it was u.But anyways great job on these awesome video they are informative. Keep doing the great job ben.
Yep you saw me haha! Also thanks for the kind words.
Great informational video, and wow! What a catch!
I almost hit a large snapping turtle with my lawnmower last summer. It was nestled down in the dirt along a fence line near my neighbor’s shallow pond. The mower passed over the top of it, but she was nestled down low enough in the ground and didn’t get hit with the blade. Phewww!
I just spotted her hunting in the shallows this morning, almost a year later, and she’s huge. I’m glad she’s still thriving ❤
In Pennsylvania there is actually a season . So I guess you could say they are somewhat protected in Pennsylvania. Beginning of July to the end of October is the season for snapping turtles.
That's a cool approach to management, it seems to be working up that way for the most part!
Awesome video! I live a bit further north in Vermont and we have a few really large snapping turtles here. I'm not sure if they are common snapping turtles or not but they are very large. I've never tried to pick one up and will probably keep it that way but it is good to know that you can if you grab the back 1/3 of the shell.
Thanks Adam! In Vermont they are definitely Common snappers.
Ben, you should do a side-by-side comparison of the common snapper with the much larger alligator snapper. Thanks for another awesome show. I loved how you jumped right in to the subject.
I'll try to get one of those videos in the works, that would be super fun!
People just don't understand just how fragile snapping turtles really are... They will be hurt easily. They die easily in the wild. They should be protected!
It's certainly not impossible that they become a protected species in some capacity over the next decade or two.
You are a legend
Are they all around NC or just in certain areas? Great video btw. Look forward to each of your uploads!
These can be found all throughout North Carolina, but are active throughout much more of the year at the coast and in the Piedmont than the mountains. And thank you!
I just found a huge one in my yard in NE Minnesota.
Love this video.
Glad you enjoyed it!
Thank you for your important message ❤❤❤❤
Thanks for watching, glad you enjoyed!
my current intrest are snapping turtles and this was really informational! thank you for this
Glad it was helpful!
Bro just dove in 💀
Thanks!
Thanks so much for your support, Robert! I really appreciate your willingness to support my educational mission.
Mine weighed at 45lb. When caught he weighed in about 35lb. Shell length was about 17" in length by 16". He'd bite when caught but became totally docile when brought home. Just caught a 30 pounder by the Uncanoonuk mtns. in Wear NH. about 3 weeks ago. He was right in the middle of Mountain Rd. I took him home & released him into the Pennichuck ponds (our water supply ponds) I don't handle them the way you do. I grasp the tail (not lift it, just use to hold in place) I then slide my hand under the Plastron & lift. If it's a big one, I'll use by arm like a fulcrum against my chest. All I can say is it works fine for me.
Good Video
Thanks Mark!
I just had to relocate one that showed up in my driveway today. I once had to get one out of a road and didn't have any way to nudge it into a box or tote like I did today, and it takes nerves of steel to grasp that lower part of the shell and carry them. Kudos to you good sir.👍
Glad you are helping move them to safety. Thank you!
Good job. I live in McDowell County NC. Helped along a turtle (not a snapper) with yellow spots on his/her back.
Sounds like a spotted turtle, they are actually pretty rare here in NC!
Nice find. She is a beautiful creature.
Thanks Ricky, she definitely is!
Ben.. I have to say.. you most likely looked at your fingers after releasing her and said..
Whew.. still got all ten :)
Beautiful turtle 🐢
Yep pretty much. I don't think this one could've actually taken a finger, but it wouldn't have felt great either.
I have saved a many a turtle in my 73 years on highways after heavy rains !
Five snapping turtles out of many others !
I developed a fear of snapping turtles as a child.
I remember one time I caught a snapping turtle and he didn’t really snap at me when I held him but he did try to bite me when i got to close to his head
That was really a huge common snapping turtle... Wow, I love to catch one in the wild like that and bring it home as a pet... ☺️
Yeah it was awesome! I don't recommend capturing one as a pet though, they don't always do well in captivity.
I can’t believe you dove in that pond, snatched a snapper out, and only got 37k views. Great video and advice
Haha it's all about the fun of the adventure and quality of the content, the views aren't up to me so I might as well not worry about them too much!
I just pulled over in North Georgia this morning and got the biggest snapping turtle ive ever seen out of the road. He was bleeding a little but seemed ok. He was gone when i came back.
Thanks for helping it out!
That intro. 😂😂
I caught one when I was probably 6 or 7 and pushed it up the creek bank and sat there face to face with it. I think back and realize how lucky I was not to get disfigured by that brute. He kept his head in his shell the whole time!
🐢 turtles biggest threat in my area in upstate NY, in Adirondack Mountains are getting run over by a car 🚗. Turtles up here are huge also.
Yep, road mortality is a huge problem for this species, especially since it's often nesting females getting struck.
THEY ARE PRECIOUS !!
They're just big grumpy water dragons!
Ur krazy for jumping into that water
*Don't attempt at home*
Can you imagine hitting a big snapper with your car like hitting a boulder at high speed 😳
Yeah it would not be good for your car or the snapper!
As a deputy I worked a wreck a few years ago, someone hit a large snapper with a Prius. (no joke, true story), the car ended up totaled.
Great video about the coolest turtles in the world
Thanks Mike!
🔥🔥
Ben is fearless !!!
There used to be a massive one, under a fallen tree where I fished awhile ago. It was totally hidden.
It's Turtle Man...!!!! Yeeeeee!!!! I notice how far out that turtles head and neck can stretch out....to reach up and around to chomp off half of your hand if you get too close.
Found one yesterday! Haven’t seen one in yearssssss
They are such a treat to observe in the wild!
That was a beautiful mud dragon 😮
Indeed she was!
I remember when I accidentally caught an alligator snapping turtle on a fishing trip in Arkansas. I was fishing with family for catfish when I saw that head pop out of the water that was about the size of my fist. Not even a minute later I felt jerking on my line. I reeled it in and he was ticked. We got him off the line and put him back but I have never forgotten that.
Wow, that must have been amazing!
So these things are cool and help the balance of the body of water. As a bass fisherman, I’m on the fence on how to feel about them. If the snappers aren’t there, will bluegill/crappie overrun the small lake I fish? Bluegill/crappie are food for the bass. Should I off the snapper for hopes of higher quantity of bigger bass? I catfish sometimes, sometimes snappers come up. What should I do about that?
The snappers are likely not having a negative impact on the bass population, since they typically just eat whatever the most abundant food source is (usually smaller panfish). As far as the snappers pursuing your catfish, it'll probable keep happening since they think it's an easy meal opportunity. I'd just recommend switching to circle hooks so if you do accidentally get one on the line the hook shouldn't set too deep.
As a kid, I use to catch and clean them. Very tasty
Grew to just love them and stopped eating them
Please don’t run over them
He wanted to eat you *SO BAD!* 😱🐢
Yes, he wanted my finger soo bad haha
I always enjoy seeing turtles especially snapping turtles.
Overpopulated here in Ohio.. kids can’t even pond swim. They taste great. Parts taste like shrimp. Parts taste like chicken and other parts taste like lobster
I like the info, I caught a 40 lbs turtle a couple days ago.
But snapping turtles have r selected reproduction.
Missouri has wood spanking turtle that are the size of 18wheeler
Do you know if the Florida snapping turtle is a subspecies of the common snapping turtle or are those both subspecies of the snapping turtle?
Great question, the Florida snappers are just a subspecies!
We had a large snapping turtle that lived in our pond. For years, I would feed the koi fish we had in our pond until a large heron swooped in and ate them in large numbers, and then a harsh winter finished off the survivors. Saddened by this but not all was lost as one of the largest snapping turtles I had seen emerged and was quite curious and would swim right up to me and just watch as I sat there. Everyday he would swim up to check out what I was doing.
One summer day, it was raining and I suppose he felt like it was a good time to migrate to another body of water, as they often do. When I went out to walk my dog, I saw a bloody pile of meat and bone and his unmistakable tail amongst the carnage. Waste Management ran him over. We live at a dead end road, and no one else had been down our road except the garbage company. I have hated them ever since. Nevermind the age-old adage "hatred is baggage". Our road is a straight and open path, leaving no excuse for what they did regardless of the weather. That turtle rocked, and I resent them for what they did to him.
It isn't a pleasant story but I wanted to share because I too am passionate about snappers and I appreciate all you do to help preserve them.
Aww man I am so sorry to hear the tragic end to the story, but I'm so glad you were able to share some incredible interactions with it. it stinks that people are cruel to animals that they don't understand, and I hope that I can change that through my content!
I feel the same when somebody kills a snake. People LOVE killing snakes and it hurts me every time.
We have 2 mating pairs in the pond at our nature center and we get to feed them the blue gill fish we catch in the river right next to the pond . My son rescued a juvenile female that was hit by a car. She is absolutely gorgeous and amazing. We healed her wounds and put her in the pond with the other 2 pairs and we are looking for a male her size that we can put in with her and make a 3rd mating pair.
That's awesome, do you release the young back into the wild?
Well dam Tarzan 😂, I'm a country guy myself. But no way I'm jumping in the water to caught it. You the man for that one bro 😂
Haha thanks dude!
They say snapping turtles are absolutely delicious and have some of the best tasting meat!
I have one given to me and will protect it from all this mess. They are not as bad as people say they are but are much work as in tank cleaning.
Yeah I could definitely imagine these being a chore to care for.
I know of a snapping turtle oasis where I live in South Carolina. I go there to catch Catfish but end up snagging multiple snapping turtles the size of the one in this video and bigger! If there is any bait that they cant stand please do tell.
They will eat pretty much any fish bait, but you could potentially look into using barbless fish hooks that will be easier to fall out of their mouths if they do get snagged.
My dad's got a huge snapping turtle in the pond behind their house, feel free to come and get it. Dad's really concerned it might bite the paw off his dog who loves to swim in the pond.
Damn Ben, what a way to pick up a date! What do you think of Cocoa?
Haha not sure how this would work with humans. And Cocoa looks wonderful, thanks for sharing.
@@TheWildReportOfficial My Columbian Red Tail got sold, so a South American Red Tail Boa was the only alternative. I'm going to have alot of spoiling to do with Cocoa.
Everything you need to know:
1. They bite hard and dont let go.
2. See above and realize you have been warned.😆
She likes you. I always drive slow in my neighborhood at night and look out for wildlife. Especially snappers. It takes a long time for snappers to get to breeding age.
The largest I've seen : Fisherman tried to put one in a 55 gallon drum, about 2 feet in diameter, it wouldn't fit! Much larger and soooo thick. Fifty pounds at least. About 1969.
Geez what a tank!
That turtle snatch was some nonsense.
I used to grab them by the tail when I was a kid lol
Hey, I have a question. I found a turtle flipped over and it appeared to be hit by a car. It was on an overpass of a small stream passing under the roadway. I didn’t know which way it was heading, so I placed her back down in the grass on the same side that I found her. Neither side really seems like a great place for her to go. Did I do the right thing or did I just make it more difficult for her to get across once again? That was actually the second time I passed her and she was flipped over again in the shoulder
Sounds like you did the right thing, just getting her off the roadway and right-side up was probably very helpful.
@@TheWildReportOfficial hey thanks for getting back. Hope she persevered!❤️
I found a little baby snapping turtle walking across our road we live in Pennsylvania and I can't think of any waterways or even near us it would be miles and miles away anyway this thing is about the size of a golf ball and I don't know what to do I don't know how to raise it or where to take it can you help
I would just re-release it where you found it, it probably had some goal in mind when it was crossing the road!
I helped a 12”+ snapper across a heavily traveled atv trail the other day. (Missed the next atv by just a minute or two.)
Holy heck did it smell bad!
Nice! Yeah they definitely don't often smell nice haha
I started fishing for sport this year and I’ve run into many snapping turtles in ponds/lakes. I’m very lowkey upset because they come up all high and mighty and scare away any bass I’m trying to catch. I can still successfully catch bass in those areas but they approach me from time to time and I have to pack up and move along because I do not want to get bit. I read somewhere that they are not native to my area of Northern Virginia and read they are dangerous to have in public ponds because they can be dangerous to people. The same page said you can capture them and then turn them in to a wildlife facility and they will take care of the turtle. As a bass angler, I am worried these are competing with the bass and preventing them from reaching maturity since they eat everything in their way. I came here to inform myself on snapping turtles since I hooked on earlier today and I did not want to get my finger bit off so I grabbed some pliers from my tackle box but the turtle managed to free itself and severely bent my hook in the process. Should I be conceded they’re putting the bass at risk of finding food or is this all natural and I should just respect their space and fish somewhere else if they are present on the bank when I’m casting? I love animals and would like to do the correct thing but the one site said they are invasive to northern Virginia, I’ve only ever seen them in creeks but never in ponds. If it’s an actual issue, I would like to take action and relocate the snapping turtles I come across. I’ve also come across a snakehead and heard they should be killed as there are some species that are invasive and need to be taken care of.
He's cute , I've got 2 bigger ones than that here at the club in two 150 gallon tanks and a alligator snapping turtle in the enclosure in the back of the club the size of the hood of a vw beetle lol
Geez that's awesome