What Is It?

• In the water, I’m a peaceful chap.
• Cornered on land, I might snap.
• My jaws spring shut like a steel trap.
• And my shell protects me like a batter’s cap.

Eastern Snapping Turtle

Snapping turtles spend most of their time napping or crawling along the muddy bottoms of shallow ponds, marshes, or rivers. They eat a variety of plants, aquatic animals, and dead things. When they venture onto land and are threatened by predators or people, snappers — as their name suggests — will lunge at attackers and try to bite with their sharp, powerful jaws. In water, snapping turtles hide or escape from disturbances and aren’t dangerous to swimmers.