snapper battle

[DebW]

I was paddling on Heard Pond in Wayland, MA last Saturday and witnessed what I believe was a fight between 2 snapping turtles. The battle remained in one location about 20 feet from shore for at least 15 minutes. You'd alternately see a shell, foot, or head break the surface. One turtle had a neck at least 10 inches long, pointed nose, and sometimes squirted water out of it's mouth. I didn't get close enough to observe the size of the shell, but I'd guess a minumum of 18 inches long. Kind of scary to be close to something that big and acting aggressive, though it (they?) never moved away from it's small fighting arena.

I'd just read in David Carroll's book "The Year of the Turtle" about a similar fight between painted turtles that lasted 30 minutes. Anyone else witnessed such a thing?

 

[Jay H]

I've seen really large snapping turles in Splitrock Res. which is near my house in NJ but haven't seen them fighting before...

I get images of Gamera in my head now!

Jay

 

[SAR-EMT40]

The only fighting I have seen a snapper do was when I was a kid. We found one, a big one, under an abandoned pickup so we antagonized it with a broom handle. It would snap on that thing and we would tussle with it. This went on until we had to go home for lunch. When we went back he decided he had had enough and bolted from the area. We taught him who was boss. Very impressive beasty.

Keith

 

[DougPaul]

A bit of searching (http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=snapping+turtle+fight&btnG=Google+Search) brings up:
* some pics: http://www.flickr.com/photos/dave-z/
* an info piece http://www.michigan.gov/dnr/0,1607,7-153-10370_12145_12201-60656--,00.html which includes "Male snapping turtles may fight fierce battles to drive rivals away from a choice breeding territory." (Under breeding.)

So it might have been a territorial battle.

Doug

 

[Stan]

Never saw snappers fighting but did see one quite angry at being hooked by a fisherman. The head was larger than my fist and I never knew snappers could growl! I hear they make a good stew but the meat's quite tough ... that's what I hear ... all I know is I wouldn't want to get into a stew with one.

Heards Pond, that's a pretty place ... unusual in that it's undeveloped and yet so close to a metropolitan area. DebW or anyone, do you know if there is an outlet to the Sudbury River? Old maps show a connection but it may have grown over.

 

[Pete_Hickey]

So it might have been a territorial battle.

Or maybe they were mating, and it just LOOKED like they were fighting. I know that when I... oh never mind...

 

[DebW]

Heards Pond, that's a pretty place ... unusual in that it's undeveloped and yet so close to a metropolitan area. DebW or anyone, do you know if there is an outlet to the Sudbury River? Old maps show a connection but it may have grown over.

Heard Pond is connected to the Sudbury in high water. Otherwise there's a marsh in between. I've paddle from pond to river via narrow channels in some springs. This past spring I paddled from river to pond without realizing that I'd left the river.

If you like paddling through marshes, it's a neat trip to start on the Sudbury River at Rt. 20, paddle under the bridge, and then, at the right water level, paddle through the culvert under the RR track and spend time in the marsh beyond.