UPDATE:The
eggs have been incubating since ca. 28-July-06, but after about a month
and a half, I was unable to determine if the eggs were alive or dead.
To be safe, I decided to sacrifice one of the eggs to learn what was going
on inside. To my happy surprise, the egg contained a live fetal turtle
about as big around as my thumbnail. It was moving around and it
had good reflexes, as evidenced by its efforts to right itself when I turned
it on its back to look at its feet. Unfortunately, that little turtle died
as a result of my actions, but the rest of the clutch should be ready to
hatch in another 45 days or so. Have a look:
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Common Snapping Turtle (Chelydra serpentina) female with nest and eggs
Straight
Carapace Length (SCL) = data not taken on nesting turtle
Gender
= female
Named:
Latifa
Comments:
- dug nest in back yard flower bed adjacent to a creek in Knoxville, TN
- eggs were in danger of predation by racoons, dogs, and crows
- entire clutch of eggs taken and relocated to incubate and hatch
- followup when hatchlings emerge
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