Featured Turtle Pictures  -  August 24, 2006

UPDATE:The eggs incubated from ca. 28-July-06 and began hatching today, about 3 months after Latifa left them in the nest.  They are still hatching as I compose this web page, but 29 hatchlings have made it clear of their shells so far, and I am optimistic that all but, perhaps, one will hatch.  It is common for hatchlings to remain in their nest for extended periods while they complete their development and get their legs under them, so I have removed them from the outdoor incubating nest to an indoor nursery.  Have a look:
 



 

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