Snapping turtles have made nests at the edges of the trails in Long Lake Provincial Park in recent years. This is a good sign that there is a healthy population of snapping turtles in the park. People who walk along the trails may encounter one of these turtles during the summer. This will most likely be a female looking for a place to lay eggs. If you see one, please leave it alone. Wildlife in the park should not be disturbed. The turtle has a long neck and is able to bite you painfully.
Biology of Nova Scotia turtles
Four freshwater turtles are found in Nova Scotia. Of these, two (the snapping turtle and the painted turtle) are likely to be present in Long Lake Provincial Park while the other two (the Blanding’s turtle and the wood turtle) are probably absent. The Common Snapping Turtle has been seen on the Lakeview Trail at Long Lake park every year in recent years. A good description of this species of turtle can be found at this link
Turtles are ancient animals that have existed for many millions of years. They behave in ways that are adaptive for their survival and there is no need for humans to intervene when the turtles are present in wild places. Turtles lay eggs in sand or gravel and the females will travel a long way in search of a suitable site to lay their eggs. The young hatchlings then migrate downhill to find water.
Turtles live for many years and large females are able to lay dozens of eggs in a single nest. The egg stage and the hatchling stage are the most vulnerable to loss and most do not survive. The turtle’s reproductive strategy is to lay a lot of eggs because most will be lost to predation by animals like skunks and raccoons. For a population to remain stable it is not necessary for all the young to survive. If two or three of one turtle’s offspring manage to survive to adulthood, then the population can remain stable.
There have been more reports of turtles in the vicinity of Long Lake in recent years and this may indicate that the population is very healthy and even growing.
When and how to handle a snapping turtle
While snapping turtles should normally not be disturbed in any way, there is one exception. Turtles that get on busy roads can be crushed to death by cars. In this case it is wise to help the turtle get across the road. Don’t try to turn it around because the turtle knows where it wants to go and will turn around again. Instead you can help it get across the road to where it wants to go by following the directions at this video link.
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