Medium Sized Snapping Turtle After Nesting
As predicted by yesterday’s post with the appearance of a blooming lady slipper, turtle nesting snapped into high gear this morning on the SouthCoast. Dinosaur-like snappers, gaudy painted turtles and dainty spotted turtles laid nests in rain-softened soil.
Rufus Guards Nesting Snapper
As Turtle Journal’s Sue Wieber Nourse and Rufus patrolled local wetlands, they encountered a medium sized snapping turtle nesting on a pile of muddy dirt. Rufus assumed her guard position to assure the turtle remained undisturbed through the nesting process.
Prehistoric Dinosaur-Like Snapping Turtle Tail
We remain awed by primitive snappers, their Jurassic tails, steely claws and cold-blooded stare. What sweethearts!Â
Rufus Examines Painted Turtle and Abandoned Nest
Earlier in these wetland rounds, Sue and Rufus discovered a painted turtle that had just crawled away from an abandoned “false” nest.
Young Female Spotted Turtle on Nesting Run
And later in the morning, Don Lewis encountered a tiny, nine-year-old female spotted crawling along a wetland roadway on a nesting run. The storm front that beset the SouthCoast of Massachusetts this pre-Memorial week brought out three turtle species to kick off the nesting season.