Turtle ID

Qball

Qball

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2A Bourbon Hound OG
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Anyone know what kind of tiny turtle this is? It looks like a baby snapper.

It was near the bottom of my driveway coming from the woods. I moved him into the yard the same direction he/she was headed.

We have a perennial stream down in our woods that has fish, crayfish, and other wildlife.

It’s about three inches long from snout to tip of tail. It also has a very long neck when it is extended out of it’s shell.

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Interestingly enough, the head shape and middle ridge say alligator snapping turtle, but the long neck says common snapping turtle, so I think you may have a hybrid.
 
Supermatch said:
Interestingly enough, the head shape and middle ridge say alligator snapping turtle, but the long neck says common snapping turtle, so I think you may have a hybrid.
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I believe haid shape and middle ridge overrules a long necked baby... that neck could fill out as it matures, but the ridge and haid shape likely won't change.

It's a cutie, and I'd be huntin' an aquarium at a thrift store!
 
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When I was in college many years ago, the only pets you could have in the dorm had to live in an aquarium. Brother's girlfriend, later wife, wanted a turtle, it fit the bill. I caught a baby snapper about that size and gave it to her. That meant brother had to go buy aquarium, rocks, turtle stuff, etc. She came to me a few days later upset because he wouldn't eat. I asked what she was feeding him, turtle flakes of some sort. I told her he wasn't going to eat that stuff, he wanted a worm, fish, or something. That meant brother was digging in the flower bed for real turtle food. When she gave the turtle the worm, he snapped it in half. She decided she didn't want a turtle after all.
 
I told my wife what this really means. Unless a Great Blue Heron or something pooped out some snapping turtle eggs on our property it picked up somewhere else, then we have some adults nearby down in or near that stream.
 
Qball said:
I told my wife what this really means. Unless a Great Blue Heron or something pooped out some snapping turtle eggs on our property it picked up somewhere else, then we have some adults nearby down in or near that stream.
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We have them on our property. One was in the driveway and the dog, which sniffs everything, wouldn't stop messing with it even when we told it no. A few minutes later, "yip, yip, yip". Dog learned.
 
Looks more like an armored copperhead to me…😳
 
Common, we don't have alligator snappers in NC.
At least not around these parts.
 
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Tim said:
This guy visited us a while ago…

View attachment 777820
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Well,,, we're waiting did you buy it??? the extended warranty he was selling.

To the OP that looks like a common snapper. I'd bet a nest just hatched nearby.

Back in 2012 I was on the Lower Neuse River to chill and enjoy getting away from people and I came across a nest hatching that was floating downstream. I picked up this guy. Yes, that is a 2 peanut Houston peanut for size. I released him in a swamp so hopefully he wasn't eaten by a bass.
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Called shotgun
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Some years ago, maybe 2015 +/- I saw one about that size in the middle of the road, just sitting there. So I pulled over and got out tp help it along. It was much heavier than I thought it would be.

That was the first of two snapping turtles I picked up, the other was much smaller in my yard. I hope to not do that again...they make me nervous.
 
Qball said:
Anyone know what kind of tiny turtle this is? It looks like a baby snapper.

It was near the bottom of my driveway coming from the woods. I moved him into the yard the same direction he/she was headed.

We have a perennial stream down in our woods that has fish, crayfish, and other wildlife.

It’s about three inches long from snout to tip of tail. It also has a very long neck when it is extended out of it’s shell.

View attachment 777635
Click to expand...
not long out of it's egg shell.
 
Chuckman said:
Some years ago, maybe 2015 +/- I saw one about that size in the middle of the road, just sitting there. So I pulled over and got out tp help it along. It was much heavier than I thought it would be.

That was the first of two snapping turtles I picked up, the other was much smaller in my yard. I hope to not do that again...they make me nervous.
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The one I encountered here in my subdivision you would only have tried once to pick up ... it was whipping around it's body trying to bite me and the nails were inches long. If that thing started flailing it would shred your arms.
 
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