© 2024 University of Missouri - KBIA
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Discover Nature: Snapping Turtle Eggs Hatch

A dark green and gray common snapping turtle hatchling blends in with a muddy spot on the ground where it sits.
Common snapping turtle hatchling.
Because of predation, eggs, hatchlings, and young snapping turtles have an abysmally low survival rate, until age four or so when they get large enough that few animals can prey on them.";

Discover nature this week, and watch for baby snapping turtles, hatching from eggs near Missouri’s streams, ponds, and wetlands.

 

Snapping turtles occur statewide – anywhere there’s permanent water. They prefer bodies of water with mud bottoms, abundant aquatic vegetation, and submerged logs. 

 

Females travel overland during egg-laying season – mostly in late spring and early summer – and are often killed by cars. 

 

Females dig nests in deep sand or loose soil and deposit up to two clutches of 20-30 eggs per season. 

 

Studies have shown that up to 84 percent of these nests can be destroyed by hungry predators such as skunks, racoons, and mink. 

 

In mid-August, surviving eggs hatch and baby snapping turtles emerge. These turtles take 4-7 years to reach maturity and can often live for more than 100 years. 

 

Snapping turtles help keep populations of many aquatic animals and plants in check.  While they may become a nuisance in some artificial ponds, studies have shown that they do not harm game fish or waterfowl populations in natural conditions. 

 

Learn more about snapping turtles with the Missouri Department of Conservation’s online field guide.  

 

Discover Nature is sponsored by the Missouri Department of Conservation.

Kyle Felling was born in the rugged northwest Missouri hamlet of St. Joseph (where the Pony Express began and Jesse James ended). Inspired from a young age by the spirit of the early settlers who used St. Joseph as an embarkation point in their journey westward, Kyle developed the heart of an explorer and yearned to leave for adventures of his own. Perhaps as a result of attending John Glenn elementary school, young Kyle dreamed of becoming an astronaut, but was disheartened when someone told him that astronauts had to be good at math. He also considered being a tow truck driver, and like the heroes of his favorite childhood television shows (The A-Team and The Incredible Hulk) he saw himself traveling the country, helping people in trouble and getting into wacky adventures. He still harbors that dream.
Related Content