This morning Abbie was driving us to church. As we were leaving our subdivision, she saw something up ahead in the road and said, "Awwww, is that a turtle?" She's compassionate like that. We've been known to stop and help a turtle across the road so it wouldn't get run over.
While her first thought is for the turtle's safety, mine is to get a picture for the blog. My subconscious is obsessed with blog fodder. I demanded she stop so I could get out, and the kids immediately started yelling, "Mom! Don't get near it! It's a snapping turtle!" I was rolling my eyes at them while trying to get my cell phone to hurry up and get into picture-taking mode. Like the turtle was going to run away or something. I could hear the kids in car yelling at me not to get too close, and I was thinking, "For crying out loud, it's just a turtle! It's not like it's going to chase me down the road!"
I got my picture
and when I got back to the car, they told me that snapping turtles kind of jump. And hiss. And get pretty aggressive.
Really? A turtle? I live in reptilian ignorance. Where do they learn these things?
This guy's shell was about a foot long, and though he stopped and looked at me, he never snapped. Or hissed. Or got nasty.
Another cool wildlife encounter in suburbia.
Be thankful ~
Karen
1 comment:
Okay, I missed this post from last year (saw it on the 'you might also like' section of your blog).
Snapping turtles are quite dangerous, actually. By thrusting their necks they can suddenly propel themselves quite a long way -- and they have jaws of iron.
They lived in the brook behind our childhood home and we were NEVER allowed to wade in that water.
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