Brush with the King Snapper

Yesterday was a beautiful one in Austin. With temperatures raising into the 70s, Jeany, Louie and I decided a leisurely canoe ride on Lady Bird Lake was in order. Little did we know what horrors awaited us.

Spotting some peaceful Red Eared Sliders sunning themselves on a collection of felled logs, we entered an isolated inlet. As we approached one side of the swampy shore, I spotted this beast: The Alligator Snapping Turtle!

There were two of them, the smaller disappeared immediately. The larger, pictured in this grainy shot biting the smaller one from behind, roared once, displaying the raw power of his bone crushing jaws, then submerged.

Still in shock from the sighting, we allowed our canoe to drift towards shore. It wasn't until we were right on top of King Snapper that we realized our precarious position. The turtle's head was bigger than a soft ball, Jeany could have fit inside its spiky shell.

Despite my best efforts, this meager documentation was all I came away with. My line of vision was often blocked and King Snapper was not cooperative. We staked out his layer for some time after, but he never re-emerged to give me a clearer shot. Perhaps for the best. I have the sense we were lucky to escape with our lives!