Nature Note:Helping a Snapping Turtle

A juvenile snapping turtle(Chelydra serpentina) was crossing the Maryland roadway,so with some degree of caution I lended a hand to the native predator.Many would have just left it alone,either through fear,disdain or both.
It's not a friendly or handsome turtle.It's definitely reptilian,prehistoric looking.Yet it was headed for nowhere,into a fenced yard,so I gingerly carried it a tenth of a mile to a nearby stream.
A mature snapping turtle can deliver a serious bite if handled,but in the end,this little fellow was totally docile.Indeed,it was placid,while an eastern box turtle I had also transported was quite resistant to being carried,struggling with its legs to get free.
This juvenile snapper was about 15cm/6in long,not counting its long tail,and was all black in colour.The carapace,or upper shell, had an interesting,sculpted quality,with keels and serrations.
Why help such a disagreeable character?Because it belongs here,in this northern piedmont ecoregion.It plays a role in the environment,feeding on invertebrates,aquatic plants,birds and small mammals.It may not be appealing as an individual,but it is integral to the whole.

Nature Note:Helping an Eastern Box Turtle

An eastern box turtle(Terrapene carolina) crossed the street on a recent spring morning in far Northern Maryland.To ensure it got to a suitable habitat in one piece,I picked it up and walked it about a quarter of a mile,or a half a kilometer, to a nearby patch of  streamside woodland.From its red eyes,I saw it was a male-probably a young male searching for his own territory.
It was at risk from inattentive motorists and children looking for an attractive pet.These are the species' biggest problems,along with habitat loss,which have caused it to be listed as threatened by the Convention of International Trade in Endangered Species,or CITES.
Consequently,Maryland has outlawed the sale of box turtles by pet stores and sends officers on raids to enforce the statute.These threatened reptiles really belong in nature where they can live their intended lifestyle and breed.
Few Mid-Atlantic predators can crack the turtles' shells,but Eastern coyotes(Canis latrans var.),with their powerful jaws,sometimes prey on turtles.