Potential World Record Common Snapping Turtle

[l4nsky]

Hola,

I was cleaning up some picture folders on one of my laptops last night and I found an old picture circa late 00's. Never shared this before, decided to change that. I've always had a passion for reptiles and herping. Every year, my dad and I go camping on a lake in southern Missouri for a week. One day we were at a marina cleaning fish when I saw this behemoth walking along the bottom in the shallows. It was feeding on some carcasses that had washed over from the fish cleaning station. I ran across the dock and ramp to shore to catch him. He heard me coming and started swimming into deeper water. I wasnt letting him get away, I ended up in the water to my neck, holding a tail that I couldn't even wrap my hands around, trying to get to shore with the business end of the turtle pointed away from me. Not the best situation, but it worked out well. He was massive, well over 60 pounds. For scale, my hands are 7.75" from the base of my palm to the tip of my middle finger. I could only grab 2/3rds the circumference of his tail, his back feet were the size of my hands, and his head was bigger around than my arms. I estimated the shell was 20" (When I got back home, I did some research and found the world record for this species had a 19.5" shell length. Wish I would have put him on the marina scale). Needless to say, after this picture and showing the marina owner, I used a snake stick to clean the leeches off his shell and let him mosey on back into the water. That was one of my best moments in the field and easily the biggest I've ever seen. Thought I'd share.

Thanks,
--Matt

 

[Nightstalker47]

Definitely a big turtle Matt, nice find...too bad you didn't weigh him.

 

[schmiggle]

That definitely looks like it could be 20" long or more. You should go back out and find it again

 

[REEFSPIDER]

That definitely looks like it could be 20" long or more. You should go back out and find it again

If it was not a record breaker then it sure is by now

 

[schmiggle]

If it was not a record breaker then it sure is by now

Hadn't thought about it that way. True, assuming it's still alive...

 

[l4nsky]

That definitely looks like it could be 20" long or more. You should go back out and find it again

I'm afraid that might be an impossible task lol. The lake is large, over 24.9k acres at normal pool. In the decade or so since I caught him, I've never seen a turtle near that size during our annual camping trip. Even if I dont see him again in my lifetime, I'm still immensely satisfied with just having the experience (and the picture).

 

[l4nsky]

Oops, double post.

 

[REEFSPIDER]

I'm afraid that might be an impossible task lol. The lake is large, over 24.9k acres at normal pool. In the decade or so since I caught him, I've never seen a turtle near that size during our annual camping trip. Even if I dont see him again in my lifetime, I'm still immensely satisfied with just having the experience (and the picture).

Gotta love the "ones that got away"

 

[SonsofArachne]

I saw a 50 lb one once many years ago at a reptile fair here in Ohio. I thought the 30 lb one my brother caught was something till I saw that massive brute. By the way, the latest world record I could find was 86 lbs :wideyed:

 

[l4nsky]

I saw a 50 lb one once many years ago at a reptile fair here in Ohio. I thought the 30 lb one my brother caught was something till I saw that massive brute. By the way, the latest world record I could find was 86 lbs :wideyed:

Yeah, that's the record I was referring to. This guy was an absolute monster for sure.

I cant help but wonder how many years or decades even he spent gorging himself at the buffet that is the fish cleaning station. I'm also curious that if he is still alive, how big is he now? He really has the perfect environment for growth. An undeveloped, clean lake with a food source that replenishes itself hourly combined with indeterminate growth means he could shatter the record easily now.

Thanks,
--Matt

 

[Jayson1974]

Thats a big boy!

 

[Teal]

How awesome!! Thank you for sharing!

 

[The Snark]

Desperately need more of those in this world. Here kitty kitty.

 

[Schledog]

The first time I saw a snapper was when I was ten or eleven and I was looking for frogs in a pond behind my house. I had never seen a turtle other than a painted turtle so when the rock I had just stepped on started moving I thought it was the largest painted turtle in the world. I went on a turtle search and was gone in the woods for an hour and my parents almost called the cops because I was gone. My parents weren't too happy when they found my muddy and wet self sputtering half finished about giant turtles and triumphantly holding a deer antler I found along the way. Common snapping turtles are by far my favorite reptile. Ive also raised some from egg but that's a whole other story that you guys probably don't care about so here it is. It was early spring and my Dad was triumphantly admiring his rose garden which survived our cold Minnesota winter. Suddenly he yelled to me there was a snapping turtle in the garden and noticed it was laying eggs so I left it alone. We had to move the turtle eggs to a bucket in our garage and in September twenty littles snappers hatched. I let them go right after hatching but kept one. I kept it for a year but then we let it go. Now that I know more about diseases and stuff I probably shouldn't have but the turtle population has stayed the same so I hope some of my little babies are out there somewhere.

 

[Bigme213]

What a monster!!!