Common Monster Turtle
This is really a Common Snapping Turtle.
He/she was very, VERY large!
I have seen some large turtles before, but this one's head appeared to be as large as my two fists side-by-side. I can't swear to that since I could not measure it. (I don't have super large hands though)
They get big, (not my hands) as I have read since online, but they are not supposed to get that large, but almost.
I was shooting herons and egrets in a swamp a couple of years ago and I heard a VERY LOUD splashing/bonking sound in a marshy cove, I looked over where it was coming from and TWO giant turtles were doing what appeared like BOXING! heheh I know, I know, but they either doing that or kung-fu fighting!
They duked it out for around at least 30 seconds or so, then I guess the (smaller of the two) loser swam away and this one came my way a couple of feet. Honestly, they fought so fast and splashed so much I couldn't tell what was going on at all.
He was only about 25 feet away from me here and where they were fighting. I had to raise my ISO because of the deep shade to get this shot, which is nothing but only a fairly good documentary shot.
I walked over slowly closer to him and placed my camera on this barkless fallen tree trunk and got this shot, I wasn't using a tripod on this camera that day. (I hardly ever use a tripod anyway, but I had three cameras by me and I used one on another camera)
Anyway, quite the excitement that morning, I had never seen turtles fight before.
When it was happening, I swear I was thinking in terms of Godzilla's monster mutants that he always fought in the 60's movies! :)
Taken at Village Creek Drying Beds (VCDB) in Arlington, Texas.
Scientific name: Chelydra serpentina
Common Monster Turtle
This is really a Common Snapping Turtle.
He/she was very, VERY large!
I have seen some large turtles before, but this one's head appeared to be as large as my two fists side-by-side. I can't swear to that since I could not measure it. (I don't have super large hands though)
They get big, (not my hands) as I have read since online, but they are not supposed to get that large, but almost.
I was shooting herons and egrets in a swamp a couple of years ago and I heard a VERY LOUD splashing/bonking sound in a marshy cove, I looked over where it was coming from and TWO giant turtles were doing what appeared like BOXING! heheh I know, I know, but they either doing that or kung-fu fighting!
They duked it out for around at least 30 seconds or so, then I guess the (smaller of the two) loser swam away and this one came my way a couple of feet. Honestly, they fought so fast and splashed so much I couldn't tell what was going on at all.
He was only about 25 feet away from me here and where they were fighting. I had to raise my ISO because of the deep shade to get this shot, which is nothing but only a fairly good documentary shot.
I walked over slowly closer to him and placed my camera on this barkless fallen tree trunk and got this shot, I wasn't using a tripod on this camera that day. (I hardly ever use a tripod anyway, but I had three cameras by me and I used one on another camera)
Anyway, quite the excitement that morning, I had never seen turtles fight before.
When it was happening, I swear I was thinking in terms of Godzilla's monster mutants that he always fought in the 60's movies! :)
Taken at Village Creek Drying Beds (VCDB) in Arlington, Texas.
Scientific name: Chelydra serpentina