As I walked home recently, this creature was sharing the road with me. Unlike me, however, he has lived here year-around for many decades. The size, about 12-14 inches across the longest part of the shell suggests he/she could be 30 or so years old. Yes, it is a snapping turtle. I wanted to move him out of the road but, I have read that if you try to lift them by the sides of their shell, they can still twist their head/neck around and bite. I didn't try. We kept our distance. With age, sometimes there comes a certain amount of wisdom - both his and mine.
He was not welcoming of my presence even though I didn't get very close. He then turned and wandered off into the skunk-cabbagey-swampy-foresty area beside the road and that was that.
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