Young Snapping Turtle or Some Other Type

[Maro2Bear]

Greetings

Zipping home today from work here in central MD with eyes peeled to the road and once again I spotted the familiar small non-rock in the center of the highway. Found a place to turn around and rescued this guy. Brought him home, nice long enjoyable soak in the sink, a belly full of red wrigglers and then released him in the small swamp pond near our house. He jumped right in and paddled away. It LOOKS like a baby snapper, but not quite. Ideas?

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[Yvonne G]

Looks more like a mud turtle to me.

 

[Anthony P]

Happy you posted here. The turtle you found is not a baby, actually. That is an adult male Stinkpot or Common Musk Turtle, Sternotherus odoratus, and from the looks of him, it appears to be an old male, actually.

 

[Maro2Bear]

Thanks guys. You know, he did seem too friendly to be a snapper, thus my reluctance to out and out define as snapping turtle. He also didnt have the look or legs like a snapper. He was quick to jump into the pond n swim away. I had never seen let alone found a musk turtle before. Now that I look at the pictures more closely, he does look like an adult vice a juvenile.

So, thanks much for the ID.

 

[Maro2Bear]

Ogh, I forgot to say that I do know what adult snappers look like! Found and relocated this guy the other day.


Sitting in the back of my F-150 on the way home.




Some last minute shots before returning to a safer location.

 

[Moozillion]

Ogh, I forgot to say that I do know what adult snappers look like! Found and relocated this guy the other day.

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Sitting in the back of my F-150 on the way home.


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Some last minute shots before returning to a safer location.

Oh, WOW!!! Now THAT guy is scary!!!!!

 

[Turtle lover 9025]

Nice Musk turtle