CHICAGO TRIBUNE (Illinois) 05 October 06 Beware of newcomers to Glenview: They bite - Lake visitors warned of snapping turtles (Susan Kuczka)
Uninvited guests have invaded one of the ritziest housing developments on the North Shore.
Snapping turtles recently took up residence at Lake Glenview in The Glen, the $1 billion development that replaced the Glenview Naval Air Station with million-dollar homes, shops, offices and golf courses.
"They're everywhere," said Robin Slakne, a natural resources manager for the Village of Glenview who has become an expert on snapping turtles since visitors to the manmade lake reported seeing the feisty reptiles.
The turtles, which have powerful jaws but no teeth, apparently navigated storm pipes leading from the nearby Des Plaines and Chicago Rivers to Lake Glenview, a 45-acre storm detention pond.
Their appearance in the lake, a popular spot for fishermen, prompted the posting of signs warning visitors that the turtles can bite when agitated.
"They haven't bitten anyone yet, but kids sometimes have an inclination to pick things up, and if you tangle with them it could be a problem," Slakne said.
The lake is located within a few hundred yards of several ball fields, the 700-pupil Attea Middle School and a Glenview Park District swimming pool and gymnasium.
Situated in the middle of Gallery Park near Patriot Boulevard and Chestnut Avenue, the lake is off-limits to swimmers and boaters, but its shoreline is easily accessible.
Michael Redmer, a herpetologist with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in Barrington, said snapping turtles normally mind their own business unless provoked.
"Their attitude is probably what sets snapping turtles apart from other turtles," he said. "They're very quick to defend themselves, and they do it with such vigor that it stands out.
"Usually, long before you get up to them, they rear up on their hind legs, open their mouths and hiss, so they're ready for you before you're even ready to pick them up."
Snapping turtles, common in the Chicago area, have long tails, webbed feet with five clawed toes and birdlike beaks with sharp fingernail-like tissue on their mouths for chewing plants, small fish, frogs, insects, snakes and dead animals.
"They have extremely powerful jaw muscles, so they can really clamp down on you, and they do it really fast," Redmer said.
Snapping turtles can grow up to 18 inches long and 85 pounds, making them among the largest turtles in the area, experts say.
"They're big, so they usually don't go unnoticed," he said.
Snapping turtles normally live on the bottom of freshwater ponds, streams and canals, swimming to the surface only occasionally for air. The nocturnal creatures, which live up to 40 years, trek out of the water in the spring to dig holes in dry ground to lay dozens of eggs. The hatchlings appear in September and October and instinctively find the nearest body of water.
Lake Glenview's walking paths, fishing piers and native landscaping make it a popular place to visit, so Glenview officials decided to put up the warning signs a few weeks ago. The signs also alert visitors that nesting geese and red-winged blackbirds should be avoided.
Glenview resident Julie Carrigan, who enjoys biking around the lake with her 4-year-old triplets, said she appreciated the fact that village officials had put up the warning signs, but she was not particularly alarmed.
"Turtles move pretty darn slow," she said.
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