One of our last big social events before leaving Durham was going to a birthday party for one of Abe's friends. This party was held at a park and when we were leaving we spotted a snapping turtle digging in the mud by the edge of the sidewalk. Luckily just a few weeks before we had seen a similar sight at the museum where a worker told us the turtle was not stuck or struggling, she was digging a hole to lay her eggs! That time we hadn't stayed to watch because it looked like it was going to take her all day long, so we were really disappointed when we went back about 40 minutes later and she was done and gone (and had hidden her spot very well!).
We knew better this time and so we threw our schedule out the window, sat down right on the sidewalk and watched. And I took pictures, over two hundred pictures, because I really wanted to get an egg being laid!
All I can say is, I am really glad there was no one in my delivery rooms trying to get pictures because I don't think I would have been as tolerant as momma turtle here!
She would dig with alternating legs, reaching down as far as she could and bringing up a scoop of mud in her foot. It was really cool to see.
Almost everyone who came by thought the turtle was stuck and thought we should pick her up! It was shocking, really, we are all so conceited that we think the turtle, who has been around far, far longer than we have, needs our help. If you see a turtle "stuck" in the mud, please leave her alone, because she's working so hard...
to do this!
She would sort of catch each egg in her foot and then lower it down into the hole she'd dug. We watched her lay about twenty eggs and with no end in site we had to leave and get lunch and nap taken care of so we didn't get to see her hide her nest when she finished.
wow Maya! That was so cool.
Posted by: Abby | July 26, 2010 at 04:17 PM