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June 16, 2009
Clear Lake, Iowa - Iowa turtles are on the move. It happens
every summer as a variety of normally aquatic species such as
snappers, painteds, and Blanding's turtles temporarily forsake the
murky depths of local ponds and marshes to march overland across
crop fields, parking lots, and roadways. Most are females in
search of adequate nesting grounds. For turtles, that means sun
drenched areas of coarse sand where females can dig holes and
deposit their eggs.
 Although
the annual ritual is rarely observed by humans, there are
exceptions. A classic example occurred earlier this week at Clear
Lake when a 25-plus-pound female snapping turtle became a literal
traffic stopper. Upon leaving the muddy environs of the lake's
Miller's Bay Marsh, the huge stegosaurus-tailed reptile
immediately began excavating a large nest crater along the
shoulder of the busy residential South Shore Drive blacktop. As
soon as the activity was complete the old Mossy Back began filling
the hole with its clutch of white, ping-pong-ball-sized eggs.
"I first noticed the turtle yesterday afternoon, and I think she
was already scouting a place to lay her eggs," said Frank Clark, a
South Shore resident who lives directly across the road from
Miller's Bay.
"I'm pretty sure it had to be the same turtle; not many snappers
get to be that big anymore," Clark added.
As soon as the turtle reached the blacktop's shoulder, she began
emitting a "huge quantity of fluid," said Clark. Before long, the
hard packed gravel shoulder had become soft and muddy. The snapper
then used the heavy claws of her rear feet to begin excavating the
crater.
"It was just amazing to watch," said Clark. "As soon as the hole
was finished, she began dropping eggs. She was laying them two at
time about two or three minutes apart. The whole process was just
fascinating."
Other Clear Lake residents agreed with Clark's assessment. Before
long, the nesting turtle had attracted a significant crowd of
interested passer-bys. And as the cell phone telegraph spread the
word, more and more residents traveled to witness the event.
After filling the hole with more than a dozen huge eggs, the
snapper surprised onlookers by "softening the earth" and then
starting a second cavity just a foot or so farther down the road.
After boring a full 10 inches into the packed hardpan, the reptile
immediately began to fill its second nest ---- this time
depositing more than 20 shiny eggs.
Masters of disaster, snapping turtles bite freely when threatened
and are known to possess one of the vilest temperaments to be
found anywhere in the outdoors. But in this particular case, the
huge snapper's only interest was in accomplishing the task at
hand. Oblivious to the growing crowd of wildlife watchers, she
never emitted so much as a warning hiss ---- even when people
moved uncomfortably close to obtain souvenir photos.
"I don't know exactly how many different people have been by to
see this, but it's been a lot," said Clark. "I've seen a lot of
sun [painted] turtles come out of the marsh to lay eggs, but this
is the first time I've seen a snapping turtle come up here. It's
unusual, and she's definitely a big one."
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