Snapping turtles crop up in valley (Kyle Odegard)

DEMOCRAT-HERALD (Albany, Oregon) 01 July 08 Snapping turtles crop up in valley (Kyle Odegard)
Tom Carroll laughed about screaming like a little girl when he first picked up the turtle. But who could blame him? After all, the reptile was 20 inches long and weighed 20 pounds. And it was trying to bite him.
“It’s not that friendly,” Carroll said, lifting the snapping turtle to show off its size. He made sure to keep his hands on the side of the algae-covered shell, well away from the turtle’s gaping mouth.
“It isn’t native to here, I’m sure,” said Troy Jordan, owner of Troy’s Tree Service. Carroll was headed to a job with the company Monday morning when he saw the turtle along White Oak Drive, near Peoria Road.
Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife has identified it as a common snapping turtle, a species native to the eastern United States. Unfortunately, it’s also becoming more common in the Willamette Valley.
The department now receives more than 10 snapping turtle reports every year, and scientists have confirmed that the invasive species is reproducing, said Susan Barnes, Northwest region wildlife diversity biologist. That makes it a threat not only to ducklings and ducks and fish and frogs, but to the shrinking population of rare native western pond turtles.
“We know they are in the Sandy River, and also in the Willamette River,” Barnes said. “We had one pulled out of the Columbia River last year.”
The turtle caught on Monday was probably at least 20 years old, based on its size. Barnes guessed it was a female looking for a place to lay eggs.
For now, the snapping turtle is being held at the Adair Village office of ODFW, and its fate is uncertain. It will either be held in captivity for educational purposes or be killed and dissected to determine its diet.
Not a lot of data is available on this not-so-common invasive species. “We have had visual reports of snapping turtles eating ducklings and even adult ducks.” Based on literature from other regions, the turtles also are likely eating frogs and water snakes as well as the smaller native pond turtles.
Anyone who sees a snapping turtle should call the Adair Village office of the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, 757-4186.
The creatures have long necks, and people should always keep the head pointing away from them. Snapping turtles can be picked up by holding onto the shell near the hind legs. A plastic or cardboard box, with a rock or other weight on top, also could be placed over a turtle until ODFW experts can be contacted.
For more information on local and invasive turtles, see www.willametteturtles.com.
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