Snapping Turtle...

William Wise Photo Nature Notes is a wildlife, birding and nature photography blog documenting the wonders of God’s creation.

"What a wildly wonderful world, God! You made it all, with Wisdom at your side, made earth overflow with your wonderful creations."    -Psalms 104, The Message

Large six inch carapace plastron Common Snapping Turtle, Chelydra serpentina, in muddy swamp water puddle. May in Walton County, GA. nnThe common snapping turtle is noted for its combative disposition when out of the water with its powerful beak-like jaws, and highly mobile head and neck hence the specific name serpentina, meaning `snake-like`.

Thursday, 3:48 PM – Last evening on my drive home from work I pulled a 6” Common Snapping Turtle out of the roadway on Highway 186. Thankfully I got to him before a large truck did!
 
He spent the night in the back of my pickup truck and got a photo session the next day. Taking him to a shallow mud puddle out back, I laid on my belly and got some neat shots at that perspective.
 
He was just as feisty and snappy as the big ones, but didn’t seem as threatening being only the size of my hand. Still, I was sure to keep my fingers away!
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​Walton County, Georgia
Forecast: showers and thunderstorms, high 79°; showers tonight, 63°
Sunrise 6:30 AM, sunset 8:29 PM
Day length 13 hours, 58 minutes
Moon: waxing crescent, 5% illumination

Large six inch carapace plastron Common Snapping Turtle, Chelydra serpentina, in muddy swamp water puddle. May in Walton County, GA. nnThe common snapping turtle is noted for its combative disposition when out of the water with its powerful beak-like jaws, and highly mobile head and neck hence the specific name serpentina, meaning `snake-like`.

Large six inch carapace plastron Common Snapping Turtle, Chelydra serpentina, in muddy swamp water puddle. May in Walton County, GA. nnThe common snapping turtle is noted for its combative disposition when out of the water with its powerful beak-like jaws, and highly mobile head and neck hence the specific name serpentina, meaning `snake-like`.

Large six inch carapace plastron Common Snapping Turtle, Chelydra serpentina, in muddy swamp water puddle. May in Walton County, GA. nnThe common snapping turtle is noted for its combative disposition when out of the water with its powerful beak-like jaws, and highly mobile head and neck hence the specific name serpentina, meaning `snake-like`.

Large six inch carapace plastron Common Snapping Turtle, Chelydra serpentina, in muddy swamp water puddle. May in Walton County, GA. nnThe common snapping turtle is noted for its combative disposition when out of the water with its powerful beak-like jaws, and highly mobile head and neck hence the specific name serpentina, meaning `snake-like`.

Large six inch carapace plastron Common Snapping Turtle, Chelydra serpentina, in muddy swamp water puddle. May in Walton County, GA. nnThe common snapping turtle is noted for its combative disposition when out of the water with its powerful beak-like jaws, and highly mobile head and neck hence the specific name serpentina, meaning `snake-like`.

Large six inch carapace plastron Common Snapping Turtle, Chelydra serpentina, in muddy swamp water puddle. May in Walton County, GA. nnThe common snapping turtle is noted for its combative disposition when out of the water with its powerful beak-like jaws, and highly mobile head and neck hence the specific name serpentina, meaning `snake-like`.

Large six inch carapace plastron Common Snapping Turtle, Chelydra serpentina, in muddy swamp water puddle. May in Walton County, GA. nnThe common snapping turtle is noted for its combative disposition when out of the water with its powerful beak-like jaws, and highly mobile head and neck hence the specific name serpentina, meaning `snake-like`.

Large six inch carapace plastron Common Snapping Turtle, Chelydra serpentina, in muddy swamp water puddle. May in Walton County, GA. nnThe common snapping turtle is noted for its combative disposition when out of the water with its powerful beak-like jaws, and highly mobile head and neck hence the specific name serpentina, meaning `snake-like`.