Wild Snapping Turtle Question

[Danielle Mammano]

So, my parents were talking with me on the phone today and they had a peculiar story for me:

They live in New York, and I do not know what breed of Snapping Turtle is most common up there, but it's the crazy Godzilla villain spiky looking kind, lol. My dad was walking our dog Radar around the yard one night and he started going BALLISTIC near the septic tank (or, where it is buried at least). Eventually he picks something up, freaks out some more, and drops it. When my dad got closer he saw a very tiny quarter to half dollar sized snapping turtle hatchling that was covered in dirt; it seemed like it had crawled out of the earth right then and there. My first theory was that the areas where a septic tank is buried usually have looser dirt and it's easier to dig in, but later on they went back there and found another baby, disoriented and wandering towards the house.

There was a rather large female in their pond three months ago that was snatching baby ducks and she eventually dug a MASSIVE hole, in which my parents assumed she laid her eggs. The septic tank is buried way up near the house however, about half a football field away, so it wouldn't make sense for her to have laid more eggs up there - and even then, my parents only found those two babies. Because of how tiny they were I would be difficult to convince that they were three months old, but then again I don't know how fast snappers grow.

If she had laid eggs there, there should have been a huge, noticeable hole, one would think. I am pretty sure snapper eggs hatch in under three months, however. There are no trees near the septic tank but it still isn't out of the question that a bird picked them up - my dog is easily excited so a turtle falling from the sky would definitely set him off, but that still doesn't explain why the little guys were covered in sand and dirt (Especially since there's no sand in our yard at all).

I do know that turtles can be easily disoriented when hatched, and perhaps they were up at the house because of the porch light, but this is still really weird and I wanted to ask you guys what you thought could have happened, haha. Just some lost babies, or is there a secret colony of turtles in the septic tank, haha? I hear about those legends in the city but never out in the country, lol.

[Lallaland]

The babies are attracted to light at night - just hang a bulb 4 feet above any ground,if snapping turtle babies are within sight of it you will find them right under the light before morning sun comes up Here is a link you may enjoy.

The "uncommon" Common Snapping Turtles: Chelydra serpentina serpentina

[amphiboy77]

snapping turtles have been known to travel very long distances to lay theier eggs. one i found a baby snapping turtle more than a mile from the nearest body of water... the body of water was a creek at the bottom of a uge ditch.

[findiviglio]

Hi,

I've worked with snapping turtles for many years, in NY in the wild and in zoo collections. In NY, eggs usually hatch in August; in points north, they sometimes hatch but remain in the nest until spring, when they emerge. Females cover the nest very well, unless disturbed in the process, and it's almost impossible to see any evidence of it once completed. Nesting is almost always in early June. They will travel quite far from water to nest sometimes, and if there is one turtle in the pond there are likely others; males are territorial but females are not. Upon hatching, youngsters head for water...you may have found stranglers, or early hatchers, or their may have been others under leaves, etc.

Here's an article I wrote on snapper natural history, with photos of a 50-60 lb male and of a 205 pound alligator snapper (related species) I cared for at the Bx Zoo: The Snapping Turtle, Chelydra serpentina

Enjoy,

Best regards, Frank