Snapping turtle and rivers and dams

We drove home from our big day trip: TWO festivals in one day:
Tall Ships in Brockville in the a.m., lunch in Smiths Falls, and a Wellness Festival in Smiths Falls.

Snapping Turtle(Chelydra serpentina)

We paused at the dam. Everyone tells me s/he was simply sunbathing. Thing is, the walls of the dam went down sharply on either side. They stretch out, to maximize the sun. Reptiles need the warmth, as they are cold-blooded. Snapping turtle are of 'special concern' in Ontario, not endangered, but getting there. They take years before they can reproduce (females in their late teens), lay eggs on the shoulder of highways in the gravel, which often doesn't go well, and people have feared them. Raccoons, foxes, and the like, raid the nests and eat the eggs. They can live up to age 70 and look so ancient.

Some of my drive-by shootings of water. It's so good to see lots of water, now, and no snow!