Living with nature

n the wake of Kaelan Paton’s tragic death two weeks ago, a Lakeville Journal editorial wisely exhorted us all to use reasonable caution while enjoying the outdoors, remembering that nature is, at its heart, wild and powerful.

If nothing else, in writing this column for the past five years I hope that I have helped readers in two ways: First, to become more aware of the nature that can be observed around us every day; and second, to cultivate an attitude of healthy respect — not fear — for the animals and environment with which we share the earth.

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The

snapping turtle that is so ubiquitous in our area this time of year offers us a good opportunity to put this attitude into practice. The largest turtle in this region, the snapper is unmistakable with its powerful head and jaws, relatively small plastron (lower shell), very rough carapace (upper shell), and serrated, lizard-like tail. Larger individuals can exceed 30 pounds in weight.

 

In addition to occupying many of our ponds and lakes, snappers at this time of year emerge onto land to lay their eggs. Females typically have a clutch of 20 to 40 eggs, which they bury under the soil. When they cross our roads on their way to laying eggs, as other turtles do, they frequently end up as roadkill. One way to treat snappers appropriately, then, is to use caution when driving, especially on roads bordering ponds and other water bodies.

No question about it: Snapping turtles are capable of being aggressive in the wild, though mainly on land, and have exceptionally sharp mandibles and powerful jaws, which come in handy for a species that is primarily a carnivorous predator. 

Yet the type of fear that greets the sight of a snapper in the water surely is overblown. Incidents of snappers biting or attacking innocent swimmers are exceedingly rare. I suspect that the animal’s primitive appearance and a generalized fear of aquatic predators — can we ever forgive Steven Spielberg? — are to blame. Like all wild creatures, snapping turtles simply want to coexist. There is no inherent reason for a snapper to attack a human.

On the other hand, I have seen our fascination, and perhaps, in part, revulsion, for these turtles often lead people to behaviors that are potentially harmful. Poking or prodding a snapper with a stick is not only disrespectful, but also can provoke aggressive behavior. Snappers have deceptively quick reflexes and are known on land to be capable of striking very quickly, in the manner of a snake.

A more worthy impulse is to try to remove a snapping turtle from harm’s way, such as when one is seen crossing a busy road. But this is not recommended except for qualified professionals. Holding a snapper by the tail or shell is no guarantee of protection. 

Much the same thing can be said about black bears, mute swans, raccoons, white-tailed deer and nearly every other animal and plant around us, as can be said about snapping turtles: Give them a reasonably wide berth; observe them at a respectful distance; never provoke or do harm to other living things.

To the family of Kaelan, who befriended us from the very first days of our arrival in the idyllic Northwest Corner and who better than almost anyone are lifelong students of nature’s ways, we offer our deepest sympathies.

 

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Fred Baumgarten is a writer and naturalist living in Sharon. He can be reached at fredb58@sbcglobal.net.