Beyond its meteorological season, Maine has ones related to biology. One of those is turtle season.
No, I don’t hunt turtles, although it is legal in Maine to harvest up to two snapping turtles and their eggs for personal consumption. But I am looking for them these days, much like I watch for deer that could leap out from the sides of the roads — defensively.
Snapping turtles are emerging from every muddy swamp, pond or river in Maine right now, seeking sandy or gravelly soil to dig nests and lay eggs. I’ve never seen so many of them in such a short period of time. My husband and I even saw one that looked like it was laying eggs in a sandy spot next to Interstate 95 this week.
A few days ago, I watched a pickup truck towing a box trailer as it just missed hitting one in the middle of the road near where we live. The driver couldn’t see it because there was a dip in the road.
The large snapper was on full alert and ready to aggressively defend itself.
The truck managed to miss and went on its way, but then I was stuck with a peeved turtle in the middle of the road. She was standing full up on her tall legs, whipping her head in every direction she could, looking for further threats.
I stopped my vehicle and waited for her to decide what was next. After a few minutes, she seemed satisfied that she had fended off her foes, and walked briskly and matter of factly back to a swampy area next to the road.
I could almost hear her mumbling to herself.
Turtles have no teeth, just sharp jaws, according to Catherine Schmitt, who writes for the Schoodic Institute at Acadia National Park and Creature Feature for the Natural Resources Council of Maine.
Fully grown snapping turtles can at least give you a good bruise, and they eat small water birds and fish, according to Audubon. Most turtle sources say the animals could break fingers and toes on people with their powerful jaws, but not a full-grown healthy person’s arm — a common myth.
Although it seems like there’s a population explosion of snapping turtles, Mark Latti, spokesperson for the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, assured me it’s just the time of year when they are most visible.
Most of the time, they are happy in their mucky homes, just chilling out.
Not a lot of the young turtles that hatch in early fall survive predation from animals such as foxes, minks, raccoons and skunks, but some do. The species Chelydra serpentina has changed little in more than 40 million years, and it’s still thriving.
After all of the chances their mother took, I hope this turtle’s babies don’t have much trouble finding their way to the home swamp.
