On June 3rd this mama snapping turtle crawled out of the Rock River, crossed my yard and then the road, and climbed a pretty steep hill to my neighbors house.
She used her powerful legs to dig through the landscaping rocks and laid her eggs next to the garage.
@melinda010100/common-snapping-turtle
Although there may have been over 30 eggs, 3 months later we only saw this one. Hopefully more of them hatched and made their way back across the road to the river.
When my neighbor went out for an early morning walk this little guy was on her sidewalk.
She scooped it up into a small box, stopped by so that I could see it, and then took it down to be released close to a quiet backwater of the river.
It was so tiny!
An adult's carapace can reach 8-14 inches (20-36 cm) in length, and adults can weigh up to about 45 pounds (16 kg).
