Posted by Toni Lankerd on June 13, 2008 at 2:23 PM
As I was returning from the store yesterday, I spotted this Turtle by the side of the road. Got out of the car and crossed the road to see what kind it was and noticed her digging at the dirt, which was a new sight to me! Luckily I had the camera with me, and managed to get a few decent shots. This Spiny Soft-Shell Turtle was actually digging a hole in which to deposit her eggs..in fact, I even heard her drop one egg into the hole.
This was a whole new experience to me, from sighting this type of turtle, which I had never seen before, down to watching the excavation and the laying of eggs. As you can see from the image, she was throwing the dirt around quite a bit...the dark OOF area just left of center at the top is the motion of her leg and dirt flying, which went as far as 5-6 feet.
Nice behavior shot Toni. It's a bit unfortunate that the turtle is using the road as it's nesting site - hopefully it works out...what are your thoughts on the chances?
Posted by Toni Lankerd on June 13, 2008 at 4:47 PM
Thanks, Joel.
Barring anyone running over her yesterday (let's hope they didn't! ), I think the chances in this case are pretty good that the eggs will hatch. The actual road is paved and not that well traveled. While there was a tire track directly in front of the turtle, most vehicles don't park on the shoulder in that area and the houses are on the other side of the road. The hole she was digging was at least 6 inches deep when I left the scene, so once laid, the eggs should be okay.
It will be about two months before the eggs hatch. If I remember, I'll go back at that time and see if there are any little ones running around.
Posted by wally emmert on June 13, 2008 at 7:09 PM
What a cool shot, Toni. Interesting how far flung the dirt goes considering the size of the turtle. Hope you'll follow up and see the eggs hatched...that would be awesome
Discussion
6 repliesThis was a whole new experience to me, from sighting this type of turtle, which I had never seen before, down to watching the excavation and the laying of eggs. As you can see from the image, she was throwing the dirt around quite a bit...the dark OOF area just left of center at the top is the motion of her leg and dirt flying, which went as far as 5-6 feet.
Barring anyone running over her yesterday (let's hope they didn't!
It will be about two months before the eggs hatch. If I remember, I'll go back at that time and see if there are any little ones running around.
Does she cover the eggs up once laid or leave the hole open for the little ones to get out? I've never seen this either, good find.