Watch for turtles!

Curt Stager and I talk about snapping turtles in today’s Natural Selections…notably about how cranky they are, and dangerous to approach in case you want to help them across the road to safety. (Tip: gently urge them along with, say, along-handled  shovel.)

Our conversation prompted a quick call from a fellw turtle-lover, who reminds us that Blandings turtles, an endangered species in most of their range, also live here and try to cross our roads during breeding season. Which is now.

These guys look like slow-moving WWII helmets. First – don’t hit them! I will never fathom the vehicular sport of turtle-murder, and they certainly move slowly enough to make avoiding them pretty simple. Second, they are much easier to assist, since they don’t whip their necks around to bite you when you approach.

Care is advised, of course.

Here’s a fun story with lots of info about saving turtles, reported by David Sommerstein  in 2003.