This big girl was sitting in the middle of a parking lot (she blends in with the concrete perfectly) and I saw her when I drove by. My fear was that she had been hit but I pulled up and she appeared to be fine. I got down on my hands and knees to get this and gradually got closer. I'm not all that fast but I figured I could get up faster than she could get to me! :) Another lady came over and said someone had already called DNR to see if they could move her out of danger. Been there, done that before...never again. You really don't want to mess with these if you value your fingers!
Fascinating turtle, her facial features give off a bit of a crocodile resemblance. Is that a snail I see going along for the ride, right up there in the middle of her upper head area.
Awesome find and capture. She looks like a real warrior in full armor. Nice POV and glad she wasn't run over as she is certainly in a danger zone. Just how big is that turtle?
@lynnz I don't know if it's a he or a she...Big Bertha just came to mind when I took the picture! I googled it and you can tell male vs female by the length of the tail which was curled up around the body anyway. It will forever remain a mystery! :)
@dkellogg All I know is it was a large unit! :) Too big to pick up so maybe 20+ lbs? It looked like it's been around a long time and not a young whipper snapper!!
I hope this amazing creature was taken to safety - do you perhaps have an update on our friend Big Bertha here? An incredible animal. Such prehistoric features. She looks so heavy and cumbersome - how does she manage to move on that tarmac.
@cocokinetic There is a happy ending for Big Bertha. I went back and she had been moved and in fact I was out at the park yesterday and there was all this commotion in the water across the road from the parking lot where she was. As I watched it appeared to be 2 big snapping turtles engaged in some kind of skirmish but they were moving so fast all my pictures were pretty useless but I could see the big claws so I knew it was a snapper. Alive & feisty!
@cocokinetic It is a very slow and laborious crawl which puts them in even more danger when they get around traffic. Luckily the park was not busy when she was in the parking lot.
@bluemoon
Thank you for so much the update - so happy she survived this little adventure, who knows what all awaits her still, skirmishes and all! It’s not easy for these hefty creatures. They look and are terrifying, but just as equally so, their lives are pretty pitiless and menacing as well.
Appreciate your response 🩶
May 7th, 2024
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I always think it’s such a privilege to see turtles… they have such a hard task to simply survive.
I’ve not not one these, your photo spot on, scary claws
Love it!
Thank you for so much the update - so happy she survived this little adventure, who knows what all awaits her still, skirmishes and all! It’s not easy for these hefty creatures. They look and are terrifying, but just as equally so, their lives are pretty pitiless and menacing as well.
Appreciate your response 🩶