A couple of years ago in September and again this morning on our morning dog walk we came upon the annual "March of the Snapping Turtles”. The eggs for these little ones were laid in a flask shaped hole in the ground last May or early June.
We searched and counted 21 hatchlings spread out marching a few yards apart some heading North and some South. Apparently there are usually about 40 eggs laid.
This itty bitty on the quarter was so covered with mud he couldn't retract his head so I gave him a bath before sending him on his way. These little guys need all the help they can get. It takes 12-15 years before they even reach maturity and can mate. Full grown males will weigh an average 20 pounds and females around 12. Their lifespan in the wild is generally not known but they can live to be 100 years old.
So Godspeed my little friends,
Diane
8 comments:
They are so cute! I hope they all survive and get to live long and happy lives.
that is so precious, I love turtles, we have 4 in a tank, and I collect various turtles, i love this and wish I could sit and watch...
Just love the little turtles.
How adorable! To see such an amazing thing on your morning walk, WOW!
Very cute!! And that's why one takes a camera on a walk, never know what great photos can be shared on the blog.
How special to get to see the baby turtles just after they hatched! One of God's miracles!
Those are just precious!. They really have quite a clutch of eggs, don't they. I wonder what their survival rate is.
How cute!!!
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