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Common snapping turtle

Chelydra serpentina

Photo by mauna Kunzah
Published on Project Noah
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25.1622, -80.9109

Field Notes

Description:

This snapping turtle plodded across the road, but I moved it to safety. The carapace is all green because it is epizoized by at least one type of alga, a common occurrence among aquatic turtles.

Habitat:

Spotted in Florida's Everglades National Park.

Notes:

No subspecies are currently recognized (whereas, in the past, C. serpentina osceola was called the Florida snapping turtle).

Reference Links:

Common Snapping Turtle-Encyclopedia of Life, Common snapping turtle - Wikipedia, Algae on Turtles: Some Additional Considerations on JSTOR

Species ID Suggestions

Comments (12)
mauna Kunzah
Thank you, Brian and Antonio. You’re both too kind!
Brian38
Congrats Mauna on an absolutely cool and well deserved SOTD!
AntónioGinjaGinja
Awesome series Mauna,super cool,congrats on the well deserved SOTD and thanks for sharing
mauna Kunzah
Thank you so much, Daniele! You’re good at giving surprises and this totally made my day! Thank you, Tukup! :-)
Tukup
Congratulations Mauna on the well-deserved SOTD. Great closeup shot. Ya gotta love a snapping turtle, just carefully.
DanielePralong
Congratulations Mauna, your common snapping turtle and its green companions are our Spotting of the Day! And thank you for moving it ;-) "Learn about epizoic organisms in our Spotting of the Day! Epizoic organisms are organisms that live on the surface of animals in a non-parasitic way. Epizoic organisms include mosses, algae, fungi and bryozoans (moss animals). This common snapping turtle (Chelydra serpentina) is covered with algae, a common occurrence among aquatic turtles. The algal growth itself supports a whole micro-community of organisms. Our 2019 Best Wildlife Photo mission comes with a special theme: interactions between species. You can join it here: https://buff.ly/2WIJPd8 " Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/projectnoah/photos/pb.10150120463815603.-2207520000.1550017970./10161477577665603/?type=3&theater Twitter: https://twitter.com/projectnoah/status/1095478993921474560
Brian38
Will do. Thank you Mauna.
mauna Kunzah
Brian, if and when you get the chance, check out the roads near the Flamingo Visitor Center in the glades during snapping turtle breeding season (spring/summer into November).
mauna Kunzah
Haha, thank you! I feel bad for your rescued turtle's companion, but am nonetheless glad that you were able to help one too.
Tukup
I love snapping turtles. They don't take anything from anybody :-) Since he probably didn't thank you for moving him out of danger, I'll do it for him. Thanks. I did the same for one, but was too late for his companion. Nice shot.
Brian38
Great job on moving it to safety!
Brian38
Great spotting Mauna! I was hoping to find one these on my trip, but no luck.

Spotted for Missions

Mission
Wildlife of the South East, USA
Mission
Reptiles of the World
Mission
Florida's Flora & Fauna
Mission
Mission WILD
Mission
2019 Best Wildlife Photo - Species Interactions Special!

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Photographed
PublishedFebruary 9, 2019

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