Lend a snapper a hand, but not fingers

I was on my way home from a short kayak paddle on Jamie's Pond when I noticed a dark object on the side of the road.

I slowed down and took a closer look. It was a medium-sized snapping turtle who had emerged from a small swamp less than a mile from my house. I turned around and hopped out of the truck. It was an egg-laying female I guessed. This is the time of year turtles are on the move, albeit slowly as turtles do. I figured she was either planning to lay her eggs in the soft sand, or she was struggling to climb up on the asphalt in a risky attempt to cross the road. I took a chance that it was the latter. I carefully picked up the terrapin -- I think she weighed about 10 pounds -- and carried her to the other side.

She was not happy. She hissed at me. And thrashed and kicked with her front and hind legs, which contained menacing claws. If she could have reached behind her heavily armored shell, she surely would taken a bite out of my hand. About halfway across, she expelled, from the hind of her carapace, about a gallon of a stinky blend of what seemed to be aged swamp water and turtle urine on my legs. It was worth it. I was happy to help. I think I've probably carried five turtles across the road in my lifetime and will continue to do so.

I was reminded of an article I read a few years back when I stopped to escort  Mrs. Turtle across the street. Our former outdoors writer, Dave Sherwood wrote an excellent story 'Trouble for turtles: They're dealing with a different predator' about these fascinating creatures and how humans can help them survive in an increasingly hostile world.

And here are some turtle tips and information gathered by Sherwood with help from a state biologist:

• Be on the lookout when driving for snapping turtles crossing roads in low, wet spots from dawn to noon, then again in the evening.

  If you see a snapping turtle crossing the road and wish to help, always herd it in the direction it is traveling, never turn it back. They always have a destination in mind.

  If you need to move a snapping turtle quickly, pick it up by the back of the carapace, holding the head away from you. You may also throw a towel over its head while handling for safety.

  Never hold a snapping turtle by the tail.

  If you find an injured snapping turtle along the road, call the Avian Wildlife Haven at 382-6761 or see the web at:
  www.avian haven.org

  Snapping turtles are reptiles, meaning they draw warmth from their surrounding environment.

  Snapping turtles need fixed bodies of water to survive, but can live without water for 2 weeks.

  The sex of hatchling snapping turtles is determined by the temperature of the soil in which they are incubated. Hotter temperatures mean more females, cooler temperatures lead to more males.

  Snapping turtle meat is considered a delicacy in China and other Asian countries.

  The commercial harvest of snapping turtles ended in 2002 in Maine, but snapping turtles may still be harvested for personal use.

  Turtles are scavengers, and bottom feeders, and biologists caution that they accumulate heavy metals and toxins in their organs and fat.

  Some scientists estimate that it takes 3,000 to 6,000 eggs over a lifetime for a turtle to replace itself