Turtle menacing a quarter

It appears that the local 2010 snapping turtle migration is over and it was quite a disappointment. Last year, more than 20 turtles made the journey from driveway to stream, but this year only 4 newly-hatched turtles were observed.

Turtle about to destroy convertible

Newly-hatched snapping turtle from above

Why weren’t there as many turtles as last year?

There may not have been as many eggs as last year. Without disturbing the eggs, it is not easy to find out how many have been laid. Last year, some eggs were broken by a vehicle driving over the nest and this year, the mother turtle seemed to have as much time as she needed, so a reduced number of eggs seems unlikely, but is possible. Maybe the number of eggs was about the same, but the hatch rate was reduced? The eggs are buried in the ground so weather shouldn’t be much of a factor and snapping turtles are found over a large area with considerable variability in climate, so weather probably isn’t a factor.

Maybe there were as many baby turtles this year as last year, but they just weren’t observed. This seems unlikely. The turtles have limited options as they make their way downhill from the nest to the stream. Unfortunately, they encounter difficulties no matter which way they choose. Even if the cold-blooded turtles made a mad dash during a chilly night, only a small fraction of them could have completed the trip before daylight.

Maybe the turtles were eaten as they emerged from the ground. This seems like a cruel possibility, but it has to be considered. It also seems unlikely. The hole where the turtles emerged wasn’t enlarged by a predator. No non-edible turtle bits were found anywhere near the nest or along the path to the stream. Even if the predators were birds, they probably wouldn’t fly off too far with a little turtle and no little turtle bits were seen close to any likely perches.

Maybe next year will bring a snapping turtle resurgence.