Snapping turtles are really on the move

Why does the snapping turtle cross the road?

Who knows, but

don't stand too close if you find one.

Snapping turtles seldom venture from the muddy ponds and streams they call home.

When they do, they are either on their way to a different pond, or are looking for sandy or gravelly places to lay their eggs.

Late May in particular is a likely time to encounter snapping turtles on land, since it is from that time through June that most female snappers will lay eggs.

Thriving Species

Unlike many other turtle species, snapping turtles continue to thrive, and can be found in nearly any pond or slow stream in northern New Jersey.

For the most part they are quite secretive, staying close to the bottom.

These big turtles feed on aquatic insects, fish, frogs, and occasional ducklings, goslings or small mammals.

Snapping turtles are very much out of their element on dry land. Like all turtles, they are slow. Snappers also have a very small plastron (the bottom half of their shell), leaving their underside open to attack.

This does not matter when they are ensconced in the muddy bottom of a pond, but on land even big snapping turtles are vulnerable.

Egg Layers

Females in our region lay their eggs in late May or June, and frequently can be found wandering about looking for the right spot.

The female often chooses a sandy roadside or railway embankment, or other human-made spot, to deposit her 25 or so ping-pong ball-sized eggs.

The size and ferocity of snapping turtles are subjects of legends.

I frequently hear tales of snapping turtles three feet across.

My father used to tell, with a twinkle in his eye, about the time a friend of his stepped on a rock in the Passaic River while fishing and was carried off, the rock of course being a giant snapping turtle.

Based On Fact

These legends have some basis in fact.

Snapping turtles can live more than 40 years, and can reach impressive sizes, as judged by living examples that have been found and studied over the years.

The largest I

ever measured was 18 inches front to back along its shell, but even

larger ones have been found, including one that weighed 47 pounds.

With such size, and with their namesake jaws, snapping turtles do seem intimidating, but they are always more eager to avoid a fight than get into one..

Snapping turtles in the water actually shy away from people, tucking their heads into their shells.

On land, however, they are put on the defensive.

Like mammals and birds, when cornered snapping turtles bite in defense.

Powerful Jaws

A big one can even snap a broomstick in two with its jaws, but it would not be a threat to a smart human for one simple reason: a smart human would not corner a snapping turtle.


Society's Scherman-Hoffman Wildlife Sanctuaries in Bernardsville.

Learn more about the society at or phone (908) 766-5787 for more information about the New Jersey Audobon Society's Scherman-Hoffman Wildlife Sanctuaries.)

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