﻿SNAPPING 
  TURTLE. 
  357 
  

  

  narrative 
  written 
  by 
  an 
  English 
  explorer: 
  ' 
  "The 
  Heats 
  were 
  now 
  grown 
  so 
  excessive, 
  that 
  our 
  

   Provisions 
  would 
  be 
  spoil'd 
  in 
  twenty 
  four 
  Hours. 
  This 
  put 
  us 
  upon 
  Hunting 
  the 
  Tortoise; 
  

   but 
  'twas 
  with 
  much 
  difficulty 
  that 
  we 
  could 
  take 
  any; 
  for 
  being 
  very 
  quick 
  of 
  hearing, 
  they 
  

   would 
  throw 
  themselves 
  into 
  the 
  water 
  upon 
  the 
  least 
  noise. 
  However, 
  we 
  took 
  one 
  at 
  last, 
  

   which 
  was 
  much 
  larger 
  than 
  any 
  we 
  had 
  seen. 
  . 
  . 
  . 
  Whilst 
  I 
  was 
  contriving 
  to 
  cut 
  off 
  his 
  Head, 
  

   he 
  had 
  Uke 
  to 
  have 
  been 
  before-hand 
  with 
  me, 
  by 
  snapping 
  of 
  my 
  Finger 
  with 
  his 
  teeth, 
  which 
  

   are 
  very 
  sharp." 
  On 
  land 
  the 
  gait 
  of 
  these 
  turtles 
  is 
  slow 
  and 
  leisurely. 
  Their 
  trail 
  over 
  the 
  

   sand 
  is 
  very 
  characteristic, 
  consisting 
  of 
  a 
  continuous, 
  undulating, 
  central 
  Une, 
  produced 
  by 
  

   dragging 
  the 
  tail, 
  and 
  bordered 
  on 
  each 
  side 
  by 
  series 
  of 
  shorter 
  parallel 
  curved 
  lines 
  produced 
  

   by 
  dragging 
  the 
  toes. 
  The 
  trail 
  of 
  an 
  adult 
  is 
  eight 
  or 
  more 
  inches 
  wide. 
  Snapping 
  Turtles 
  

   thrive 
  in 
  captivdty, 
  although 
  always 
  retaining 
  their 
  sullen 
  dispositions. 
  My 
  young 
  captive 
  

   specimens 
  often 
  completely 
  buried 
  themselves 
  in 
  the 
  sand. 
  

  

  Food 
  Habits. 
  — 
  This 
  species 
  is 
  chiefly 
  carnivorous, 
  its 
  diet 
  consisting 
  of 
  fish, 
  small 
  reptiles 
  

   and 
  mammals, 
  amphibians, 
  and 
  other 
  aquatic 
  animal 
  Ufe. 
  It 
  is 
  also 
  destructive 
  to 
  young 
  

   water-fowl, 
  which 
  are 
  seized 
  and 
  pulled 
  under 
  water, 
  to 
  be 
  eaten 
  at 
  leisure. 
  Storer 
  (1840) 
  

   states 
  that 
  "farmers 
  sometunes 
  complain 
  of 
  its 
  depredations 
  among 
  their 
  chickens 
  and 
  duck- 
  

   lings." 
  Ditmars 
  (1910, 
  p. 
  9) 
  describes 
  its 
  habit 
  of 
  prowUng 
  "along 
  the 
  edge 
  of 
  a 
  pond 
  or 
  stream 
  

   in 
  search 
  of 
  frogs, 
  which, 
  in 
  turn 
  are 
  squatting, 
  snout 
  toward 
  the 
  bank, 
  on 
  the 
  watch 
  for 
  insect 
  

   prey." 
  That 
  the 
  diet 
  is 
  not 
  wholly 
  carnivorous 
  is 
  shown 
  by 
  the 
  stomach 
  contents 
  of 
  an 
  

   adult 
  healthy 
  male 
  which 
  I 
  took 
  in 
  a 
  salt 
  marsh 
  in 
  Sagamore, 
  Mass., 
  July 
  9, 
  1916 
  (Babcock, 
  

   1916). 
  This 
  stomach 
  was 
  well 
  filled 
  with 
  recently 
  swallowed 
  marsh-grass 
  (Distichlis 
  spicata) 
  

   the 
  blades 
  being 
  intact, 
  but 
  bent 
  and 
  tangled. 
  Surface 
  found 
  in 
  the 
  stomach 
  contents 
  of 
  

   nineteen 
  animals 
  of 
  this 
  species: 
  algae, 
  leaves, 
  seeds, 
  grass, 
  slugs, 
  snails, 
  crayfish, 
  insects, 
  

   bugs, 
  flies, 
  beetles, 
  portions 
  of 
  fish, 
  frogs, 
  snakes, 
  birds, 
  mice, 
  and 
  rabbits. 
  

  

  In 
  spite 
  of 
  a 
  voracious 
  appetite 
  the 
  turtle 
  \v\\\ 
  live 
  for 
  months 
  without 
  food. 
  Shufeldt 
  

   (1897) 
  speaks 
  of 
  a 
  young 
  Snapper 
  which 
  went 
  without 
  food 
  for 
  three 
  months, 
  at 
  the 
  end 
  of 
  

   which 
  period 
  it 
  ate 
  some 
  young 
  snails 
  and 
  died 
  on 
  the 
  third 
  day 
  following. 
  This 
  species 
  is 
  

   apparently 
  unable 
  to 
  swallow 
  food 
  miless 
  the 
  head 
  is 
  under 
  water. 
  

  

  Enemies. 
  — 
  The 
  Snapping 
  Turtle 
  is 
  not 
  hunted 
  extensively 
  by 
  man, 
  although 
  since 
  its 
  

   bad 
  reputation 
  for 
  destructiveness 
  to 
  valuable 
  game 
  fish 
  and 
  young 
  water-fowl 
  is 
  becoming 
  

   more 
  generally 
  known, 
  measures 
  are 
  sometimes 
  taken 
  to 
  exterminate 
  it 
  from 
  certain 
  "stocked" 
  

   ponds. 
  An 
  otter 
  has 
  been 
  observed 
  to 
  bring 
  one 
  up 
  through 
  the 
  ice 
  and 
  eat 
  off 
  the 
  head. 
  

   Raccoons 
  and 
  skunks 
  have 
  been 
  seen 
  to 
  destroy 
  the 
  nests. 
  The 
  eggs 
  are 
  sometimes 
  collected 
  

   (the 
  nests 
  being 
  located 
  by 
  probing 
  with 
  pointed 
  sticks) 
  and 
  sold 
  for 
  a 
  small 
  price, 
  to 
  be 
  used 
  

   as 
  food. 
  One 
  of 
  my 
  specimens 
  was 
  infested 
  by 
  an 
  intestinal 
  parasite, 
  a 
  species 
  of 
  trematode. 
  

  

  Economic 
  Importance. 
  — 
  The 
  flesh 
  of 
  this 
  turtle 
  is 
  used 
  for 
  food, 
  large 
  numbers 
  of 
  animals 
  

  

  ' 
  Hennepin, 
  L. 
  A 
  New 
  Discovery 
  of 
  a 
  Vast 
  Country 
  in 
  America. 
  London, 
  1698, 
  p. 
  188. 
  

  

  