Snapping turtles & two heads are not always better than one

The common snapping turtle (Chelydra serpentina) is the largest of the freshwater turtles in North America. They have a dull rough carapace (upper shell) and a large head. The second part of their name, serpentina comes from their neck which is quite long and snakelike, as well as their ability to strike like a snake. Snappers, as they are called, defend themselves similar to the way a snake strikes its prey. The speed of its strike rivals that of a rattlesnake. It is so fast the eye is barely able to follow the strike.  This strike is backed up by a very sharp pair of cutting mandibles and tremendously powerful jaw muscles.  Snappers make very loud and terrifying hissing sounds when they are confronted.  Hopefully, this will warn humans young and old, who are unaware of the dangers,  to back off and stay away from this turtle. An adult snapper is quite capable of amputating a finger, and a large snapper can even amputate a hand.

When I was young, my Mother, my brother, and I were travelling in the car in Cold Spring, NY when we came upon a large snapping turtle sitting in the middle of the road. My Mother always helped all kinds of creatures, and so she stopped to remove the snapper before a car or truck might run it over.  Our local vet always looked at us with a concerned and worried look when we showed up with a large box or covered container, because Mom had brought him a few injured snakes, as well as other creatures. One snake she brought to him was run over by a tractor and lost part of its tail. It was successfully treated and later released to do its job controlling the rodent population in our fields.   All we had that day to move the turtle was a broom stick and a hairbrush to use as tools.  I will never forget how that turtle, with super lightening speed, lunged at my Mother and snapped that hair brush in half.  It made my Mother’s warning about our safety on these rescue ventures quite real, and it was a lesson remembered and respected to this very day. I do not remember all of the details, but my mother did get that snapper off the road that day.

Snapping turtles are a terror to most semi-aquatic and aquatic creatures. They are bold and very aggressive.  Their carapace is quite small compared to their size. When confronted, they do not withdraw their heads or limbs into their shells like the action of most other turtles.  They will steadfastly face their opponent looking quite ferocious with their long necks, rough carapace, massive sharp-edged claws, and their long fleshy tails. Large specimens can weigh up to 40 pounds, and have a carapace (shell) that is about 14 inches long.  They are fresh water inhabitants ranging from Southern Canada into the United States usually east of the Rockies and southward through Mexico. 

Common snapping turtles can be found in slow running muddy, streams, rivers, and marshes.  They often lie in deep mud with only the very tip of their snout showing. Their nostrils are positioned on the tip of their snout and they function like snorkels. Snapping turtles are omnivores.  They eat plant and animal matter. They prey on anything they can swallow.  They only eat their food under water. If they do kill something or find something on land, they will take it into the water to eat. They will also, importantly, eat dead and dying fish and animals.  Snappers have an uncanny ability to find dead and diseased animals making them an important component of aquatic ecosystems.

I would like to say a good word for the snapping turtles. First, they do an excellent job of keeping Mother Earth’s bodies of water free from decaying animals. This task alone is a very important  and a necessary thing. Second, as I have said before man is still finding out the importance of each living creature on this planet. There are things yet to be found out, perhaps very important things.  Third, do not other animals we love and admire live the same way? They prey on others and defend themselves when they feel threatened.  Cats hunt and defend themselves in some of the same ways. Have you ever been scratched by a cat that thought you were causing it harm? Sure, we cannot pet a snapping turtle, but they have the same will to live as cats, bears birds, you and me, etc.

Snapping turtles are not vicious creatures that will hunt you down or climb up your doorstep to eat you alive. They are just another of the Creators wonderful creations, and the turtle according to our stories was the base for the very land we stand upon.  It is a common misconception made, unfortunately by even the most respected persons working in environmental positions, that Common snapping turtles can be lifted by their tails. This belief is totally wrong. Lifting them by their tails has a high chance of seriously injuring the turtle. If moving a snapper is necessary, a large snow shovel to scoop the turtle up is the best and easiest way if it is done quickly and safely for all concerned (including the turtle).

Very old snappers are sometimes so huge, due to fat, their fleshy parts protrude way beyond the margin of their shells. At this stage because the snappers limbs are hindered, it is almost helpless if removed from the water. The turtle’s shell is sharply serrated in the rear with three keels.  Young turtles have ridges that radiate from these keels and their carapace is quite rough, while the shell of older snappers is very smooth. The plastron (the bottom shell) is very small and narrow exposing a large amount of the turtle’s fleshy parts. The underside of their long tails, as protection, are covered with large shields. Their feet are very broad and webbed, and have very large, coarse nails. They have very small eyes, yet they have very good vision.  The most outstanding feature a snapper has is its huge powerful head. The head and tail cannot, like other turtles, be completely tucked into its shell. Which was unfortunate for Emily the two-headed snapping turtle.

In 1973, a two headed snapping turtle was brought to the Science Museum of Minnesota. Although the turtle’s sex was never determined, it was named Emily, perhaps after one of her rescuers, Emil Berg.  She was displayed in an exhibit called “Nature’s Accident”. Two headed turtles are not common, but they do occur occasionally. A misfunction or chemical accident during Emily’s early embryo development is what caused her to have two heads. Had Emily not been taken to the Museum, it is doubtful she would have survived. The decision making having to depend on two heads would make catching food or fleeing danger just about impossible for the turtle.

Emily received daily attention at the museum, and tests were performed that revealed some interesting results.  It was discovered that Emily also had two separate biological systems. She had two hearts, two stomachs and two spinal columns that met at one abdomen. It was observed that the left head controlled the left front leg and the right head controlled the right front leg.  However, control of the hind legs was shared. Emily lived for four years, but on July 7th,1977 her left side died when her neck became jammed into her shell. The next day, July 8th, her right side died from toxins caused by lack of blood circulation. Today Emily’s preserved body is still a popular item with visitors to the Museum. If you are ever in Minnesota, perhaps you may want to pay her a visit.