Visited by a Snapping Turtle

On June 9th this year we noticed a snapping turtle in our lake-front yard. There are two species of snapping turtle native to North America. The bigger alligator snapping turtle is typically found in the Southeastern United States. Our Minnesotan turtle is a common snapping turtle (Chelydra serpentina), which has a wider range across the eastern US and Canada.

Snapping turtles mainly live in water, but females venture on land in late spring to lay their eggs. If cornered on land snapping turtles will be aggressive, and they can deliver painful bites. In water they generally avoid contact with people.

It is advisable to leave these turtles alone if you see them on your property. We did that and within a couple hours it was gone, back to the lake.