Re: Fwd: [NatureNS] a wiener-eating snapping turtle !!!

DKIM-Signature: v=1; a=rsa-sha256; c=relaxed/relaxed;
References: <4FBBA15F.3090802@istar.ca>
Date: Tue, 22 May 2012 12:27:21 -0300
From: Rick Whitman <dendroica.caerulescens@gmail.com>
To: naturens@chebucto.ns.ca
Precedence: bulk
Return-Path: <naturens-mml-owner@chebucto.ns.ca>
Original-Recipient: rfc822;"| (cd /csuite/info/Environment/FNSN/MList; /csuite/lib/arch2html)"

next message in archive
next message in thread
previous message in archive
Index of Subjects


I feel the extract below is where it gets very dangerous for the
turtles sooner or later. At site #31 on Peskowesk Lake (Keji) there
was a large snapper that definitely visited the "dock" routinely, for
food scraps etc., for a number of years. And then it was gone.
Meaningless, yes, but these things are very long-lived & are the top
predator in their system.

A certain fraction of humans, even in "back country" campers, are
idiots. Yes, I said that. And these turtles are seriously scary to
some. We were definitely told by a park warden that a snapper at a
different site turned up with ax cuts in its back. I believe it died.
And this was in Keji.

Rick W.

On Tue, May 22, 2012 at 11:23 AM, Frederick W. Schueler <bckcdb@istar.ca> wrote:
> * here's Matt Keevil's response to this. Matt is doing his Ph.D. on Snapping
> Turtle dispersal and population genetics in Algonquin Park in Ontario.
>
> fred.
...........................
> I've heard a bunch of stories of people hand feeding snappers and I suspect
> this sort of habituation might explain other instances of people reporting
> being approached by snappers.
............................

next message in archive
next message in thread
previous message in archive
Index of Subjects