Maine Lakefront Property Owners Respect Snapping Turtles

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Maine Lakefront Property Owners Respect Snapping Turtles

SnappingTurtle

Common Snapping Turtle Basks on Log

As a Maine lakefront property owner, I often see the large, triangular-shaped head of a snapping turtle poking out of the water as it swims past our dock. And occasionally I see one on the camp road or crossing another road in the lakes regions of Maine.



The mouths of snapping turtles are large and beak like. They have no teeth, but do have sharp, hooked upper jaws adapted for tearing food apart. The upper shell or carapace of a snapping turtle ranges in color from green to brown to black. The plastron or bottom shell doesn’t seem large enough for this big reptile. Their long, tails sport three rows of bony spines.
These reptiles are omnivores who feed underwater. They prefer to forage on the muddy bottoms, where vegetation provides adequate cover. Their diet mainly consists of aquatic plants, fish, frogs, tadpoles, salamanders, insects, snails, leeches, worms, spiders, snakes, occasional water fowl and carrion.
Though snapping turtles appear to pose a threat to humans, they are not as aggressive as we think they are. Instead of swimming, these turtles spend most of their time crawling along the bottom of shallow water. “They prefer to be able to reach the surface with their head while sitting on the bottom and therefore are usually found only in water up to three feet deep.” (tortoisetrust.org)
As I mentioned earlier, they swim past our dock, where the water is about eight feet deep, but that is only on their way to get to shallower water in the coves on either side of our point. When we are in the water, we never encounter them–and we’ve been swimming there since the mid-70s and in the ponds and lakes of Maine since we were born in the 50s. Our experience has been that in water, they are non-aggressive. “In the water snapping turtles will always leave instead of attack. Snappers do not attack people in the water . . . They examine things by touching them with their nose, so a very curious snapper might bump a swimmer carefully.” (tortoisetrust.org)
Snapping turtles spend most of their time in ponds and lakes, but do travel across land in order to lay eggs in sandy soil or migrate from one body of water to another. On land, these turtles often act like the nastiest characters that you ever want to encounter. It’s then that people tend to discover their aggressive nature. Have you ever tried to help one cross the road? With its long neck, that is almost as long as its shell, it’ll swing its head and lunge with open jaws. We’ve held out a stick for one to latch onto in an attempt to help it. But still . . . it can be a scary encounter.
I have read that even though they hiss and strike out with their formidable jaws, that they will usually not bite. Supposedly, they’ll close their jaws just before they reach your hand. I don’t intend to verify this. Their act is enough to keep me at a safe distance. It’s best to leave a snapping turtle alone and treat it with respect. I do strongly recommend that you keep children and pets away from a female turtle that is laying eggs.
As lakefront property owners, remember, “There is absolutely no truth to the rumor that snapping turtles will drag swimmers under. They do not even hunt in water deeper than we can stand up in. Most of the snapping turtles I have ever worked with were very curious and friendly individuals. Others appeared to be simply bored with my presence and hurried to move off.” (tortoisetrust.org)
To view lakefront properties for sale on Hobbs Pond in Hope, click on the green box above.
To learn more about Hobbs Pond and the MidCoast Region of Maine, check out the blog links below.

Hobbs Pond, Hope, Maine: Live Your Summer Dream at Lakefront Property
Tilden Pond, Belmont, Maine: Lakefront Property Owners Enjoy Unhurried Pace

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