Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi,

Hoping someone here might help me ID a small water turtle my sister found in her pool. She lives in Georgia (I'm in Tennessee). I had thought it was a baby snapper from her description, but after seeing these pics she sent me I'm not so sure. The front feet asre definitely webbed, but not clawed (as I would think a snappers would be). Dunno if you can tell from these pics but take a look and see what you think.

Pics are at: http://www.jellico.com/lisa/turtle.html

Thanks!

Lisa
Link

It's a snapper! You can tell by the exceptionally long tail and the serrated marginal scutes on the back of the shell.
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...the oldest task in human history: to live on a piece of land without spoiling it."
Aldo Leopold (1938)

"Sometimes I think the surest sign that intelligent life exists elsewhere in the universe is that none of it has tried to contact us."
Calvin and Hobbes (Scientific Progress Goes 'Boink', 1991)

Thanks.

I thought it was because of the tail but I just wasn't certain enough to id it from just a pgoto. If I'ld seen the turtle I'ld have been able to tell.

Hard to tell where this little guy came from. As far as I know there's not a pond or lake around the area for a couple of miles.

Lisa

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>>Hard to tell where this little guy came from. As far as I know there's not a pond or lake around the area for a couple of miles.

That is not unheard of! Just try to find the nearest body of water and let it go there.
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...the oldest task in human history: to live on a piece of land without spoiling it."
Aldo Leopold (1938)

"Sometimes I think the surest sign that intelligent life exists elsewhere in the universe is that none of it has tried to contact us."
Calvin and Hobbes (Scientific Progress Goes 'Boink', 1991)

Adult females travel great distances to lay their eggs from their own body of water. It seems that baby snapping turtles are the # 1 turtles found in swimming pools, just going by the number of calls that I get each year.

Birds also like to eat turtles (crows and herons come to mind) and occasionally accidentally drop them after catching them.

Katrina