On one of my weekly ventures around the pond this week I got to witness a Mama Snapping Turtle laying eggs. Turtles lay their eggs on land, even though snappers live in the water. She was about three feet from the water. This will be the only motherly thing she does for them. After they lay eggs, they are pretty much done with motherhood and the babies are on their own. Turtle eggs can take anywhere from 70-90 days to incubate and the survival rate for baby turtles is really low since they have a lot of predators. Hatching and crawling to the water is the least of their baby turtle hurdles. But I know where the spot is now and I'm going to keep an eye out because I think it would be awesome to see baby snapper turtles.
Mama Turtle in egg laying trance. No reaction to me whatsoever.