I found one of these stuck wedged between two trees that it couldn’t fit between so I grabbed him and pulled him out and it turned around and literally sprinted at me to try and bite me. I’ve never seen a turtle move that fast before and I’ve never thought I’d be running away from a turtle, haha. It was a pretty comical sight.
kirradoodle on September 10th, 2022 at 17:35 UTC »
I used to live near a large lake. It was nice - boating, scenic picnics, and convenient for a quick swim after mowing the yard.
One day I came across a snapping turtle wandering in the yard out near the road, not much smaller than the one shown here.
I didn't want him to get run over, so I caught him (very carefully and it took a while) and took him over to a little cove in the lake.
I set him down on the shoreline where there were gently sloping shallows, and as soon as he took in his surroundings, he launched himself into the water and swam off into the depths. I was happy that he was safe.
I then realized that I had just released this beast, a ferocious predator with a formidable beak, into the same lake I swim in myself. He was going to be lurking there, awaiting things to bite. Like my toes.
Of course I knew that there were thousands of other prickly, snappy, bitey creatures already living in and around the lake.
But this guy I had met and battled personally, and he made it real. I didn't do much more swimming after that...
0ogaBooga on September 10th, 2022 at 14:32 UTC »
What a biggun!
How did you catch it?
DurtyKurty on September 10th, 2022 at 16:02 UTC »
I found one of these stuck wedged between two trees that it couldn’t fit between so I grabbed him and pulled him out and it turned around and literally sprinted at me to try and bite me. I’ve never seen a turtle move that fast before and I’ve never thought I’d be running away from a turtle, haha. It was a pretty comical sight.
kirradoodle on September 10th, 2022 at 17:35 UTC »
I used to live near a large lake. It was nice - boating, scenic picnics, and convenient for a quick swim after mowing the yard.
One day I came across a snapping turtle wandering in the yard out near the road, not much smaller than the one shown here.
I didn't want him to get run over, so I caught him (very carefully and it took a while) and took him over to a little cove in the lake.
I set him down on the shoreline where there were gently sloping shallows, and as soon as he took in his surroundings, he launched himself into the water and swam off into the depths. I was happy that he was safe.
I then realized that I had just released this beast, a ferocious predator with a formidable beak, into the same lake I swim in myself. He was going to be lurking there, awaiting things to bite. Like my toes.
Of course I knew that there were thousands of other prickly, snappy, bitey creatures already living in and around the lake.
But this guy I had met and battled personally, and he made it real. I didn't do much more swimming after that...