Common Snapping Turtles & Pond Sliders of Allison Pond
I've known for a long time that Allison Pond has at least one snapping turtle in its population. Located in the "True Pond" in the back of the park, nearing the Goodhue Park border. When I was a kid I remember seeing an old, algae covered, grizzled snapping turtle that would approach any disturbance made on the water's surface. Bringing my camera with me, I was hoping to document whatever I could find, but the snapping turtles were especially on my mind.
Upon arriving at the "True Pond", I sat on rotting wooden steps that dipped into the pond's fairly clear water. I looked out to see Pond Sliders sunbathing on floating logs and a lone Mallard resting in the shade of a tree's canopy. I set myself and my camera up and prepared to wait for the perfect shot to show itself. Without much time at all going by, I noticed three or four Pond Sliders eagerly swimming toward me, stopping every once in a while to catch their breath or check me out (I wasn't sure.) Once they made it within a few feet of the stairs I was sitting on, they would swim back to maintain a healthy distance. I can only assume that these turtles are very used to being fed by families, hikers, and any other passers by who have a morsel to spare. This thought was only supported when I heard the splashing of a much larger animal. I looked to my right to see a large Common Snapping Turtle crawling off of a muddy bank and descending into the water*. I suspected the turtle was alerted to the chance of free food by the commotion made by the Pond Sliders on the calm and stagnant pond.
The snapping turtle approached just as quickly as the other sliders did. However this snapping turtle showed no signs of turning back when reaching the stairs I was sitting on. Again, I can only imagine these animals feel so comfortable approaching me due to some form of conditioning with food. The Pond Sliders showed little fear around the much larger Common Snapping Turtle. They swam around the snapping turtle almost as if they were tempted to climb onto its back. The snapping turtle didn't mind them much at all however. It was only once I noticed 2 to 3 other snapping turtles swimming toward me when the original turtle became agitated. A Common Snapping Turtle of a very similar size approached and the turtles bit at each other. This created a loud crash of water, sending Pond Sliders and birds alike to get as far away as possible from this commotion. This continued for the next 10 minutes as I sat. A snapping turtle would approach the one closest to me, they would fight in the water, and the weaker of the two would swim away. Until finally, a slow and old looking Common Snapping Turtle swam up to the stairs**. The turtle there simply left them alone and later left. This clearly older turtle hung out by the stairs with me until I packed my camera and left.
I left thinking of how that last snapping turtle reminded me of the one I saw as a kid. Not knowing much on how to accurately guess the age of turtles, I could only imagine how old any of the turtles I had seen are. Regardless, I was very happy that they stopped by the stairs. I felt bad that they were probably a bit disappointed by the fact that I didn't give them any free food but I hoped that maybe they enjoyed hanging out with me too. At least a little bit. Don't feed your local wildlife folks; we don't need the snapping turtles beefing by the stairs.
*First picture of Common Snapping Turtle from my observation.
**Second picture of Common Snapping Turtle from my observation.
