Snapping Turtle - Wellington

Snapping Turtles are large aquatic turtles with dark coloration and shells which are usually covered in mud or algae. Young snapping turtles have pointed carapace scales, also known as keels, which they will eventually grow out of as adults. They have a large head with a pointed nose and hooked upper jaw. Their tails are long and thick with triangular scales running down the center. Their necks are much longer than they seem at a glance – they can reach almost to the very back of their carapace!

The plastron is lighter in color and much smaller than the carapace, which may be one reason this turtle is known to be quite defensive. Hatchlings are black with very long tails and average about 1.25 inches (3 cm) long. Although they use defenses such as hiding and produce musk when threatened, few hatchlings will survive to adulthood.

Snapping turtles can be found throughout Michigan, except Isle Royale, and live in habitats like slow-moving rivers, marshes, and muddy bottomed lakes with dense plant growth. They rarely bask, but can be seen when traversing land to find better habitat or nesting sites. Diets consist of insects, worms, leeches, fish, crayfish, snails, tadpoles, frogs, small mammals, birds, carrion and a variety of vegetation.

It is recommended to never move these animals in the wild unless absolutely necessary as picking up a large specimen can potentially harm the turtle and the handler as well if anything goes awry. Record weight for a captive specimen is 86 pounds!

Wellington has been at Sarett Nature Center for about three years. When he arrived, he had early symptoms of metabolic bone disease due to improper husbandry: his shell was soft and he had trouble using his back legs. Luckily, he was still young when he arrived in this condition, so we were able to reverse these effects with proper housing, lighting, and diet, and he has made a full recovery! Not only are his back legs and shell much stronger, he has had a huge growth spurt – he was about 3 inches long when he arrived and now he is about 8 inches long! Sarett Nature Center has a Scientific Collector’s Permit issued by the DNR to allow for collection and possession of these animals for educational purposes.