Be on the lookout! Tiny baby Snapping Turtles (only about the size of a quarter) may be on the move in your area! If you live anywhere up to a quarter of a mile from wetlands, you have the chance to witness baby Snapping Turtles as they leave their nests and instinctively head for water.

From May through June female Snapping Turtles leave the rivers, streams and lakes where they live to lay their eggs. Mother Snapping Turtles dig shallow, bowl-shaped nests in loose soil or sand and lay between 20-40 creamy white, ping pong-ball shaped eggs. After mom lays her eggs, she returns to the water and has nothing more to do with them. For the next 80-90 days, the eggs lay helplessly incubating. This is a very vulnerable time for the eggs as they are exposed to predation from skunks, raccoons, foxes, coyotes, some frogs, snakes, herons, hawks, owls and more.

Now here is a fun Snapping Turtle fact – the sex of hatchlings is determined by the temperature of the nest. Warmer nests produce more female turtles and cooler nests more males! My yard abuts the Sudbury River and this snapper was heading in that direction. I photographed the turtle next to the acorn to give you an idea of size. I’ve seen some conflicting information about how big Snapping Turtles will grow, but CT.gov says an average adult’s shell measures 8-12 inches and they can weigh between 10-35 pounds.

Are you seeing baby Snapping Turtles in your yard or neighborhood?