“LINNAEUS,” (Latin name for Carl von Linne) a Swedish botanist, established the system of binomial nomenclature and has been credited with naming the common snapping turtle in 1758. That was during the period when Linne was naming all the known species of animals.
This particular reptile was inquired of by one of our long-time Stratham readers who wrote, in part, on Oct. 10: “Last weekend we were taking a ‘backyard stroll’ when our daughter suddenly stopped and exclaimed, ‘Look, a baby turtle.’ Sure enough, it was a baby snapper. It was about as big as a quarter, but when I picked it up, it stretched its legs and clawed at my fingers. It was surprisingly strong, considering its size. We carried it to the edge of our pond and it quickly headed for the water and swam away.
“As we continued our walk, later in the day, we found four more babies, all headed in the same direction — to the pond. We did bring them inside and our daughter dug some earthworms but they were more interested in escaping. They struggled to climb out of the box — stepping on one another’s backs. So feeling sorry for them, we carried them outside and set them free. Again, they all headed in the same direction — to the pond.
“So tiny — will they survive the freezing pond and ice of winter?”
My answer is yes, and they may live to be over a hundred years of age. The snapping turtle, (Chelydra Serpentina) is the largest of the seven species of turtles found in New Hampshire and can weigh up to 40 pounds, according to my long-time friend Hilbert “Bandy” Siegler in his book, “New Hampshire Nature Notes.” In June and July female snappers are often seen attempting to cross our roads and highways searching for a suitable place to lay their eggs.
The turtle uses its hind feet to dig a suitable hole, lays her eggs, covers them up and leaves the scene as she has completed her reproductive duty.
Our reader’s baby turtles were doing just what they were supposed to do, head for water, where they spend most of their lives. Their feet are webbed so they are good swimmers.
Having no internal heating system means that they are “cold blooded animals” and they can only stay alive when temperatures approximate the air, earth or water surrounding them. Their lack of control of temperature means that they must hibernate during winter and seek shade when out of water to avoid direct rays of a very hot sun. Snapping turtles spend most of their time feeding on the bottom of lakes, ponds, and rivers. They eat vegetation as well as fish, small marine creatures, crustaceans, young ducks and geese, as well as carrion of all sorts.
A Manchester reader asked: “I have 26 birdhouses that are always full — never a vacancy.
Do I have to clean them out each year as they have to rebuild the insides?”
No, but an annual cleaning removes parasites and soiled material. Removing all material and hand washing the inside with bleach water as a disinfectant will help future nesters .
A Pembroke reader wrote, in part: “I have a question I wonder if you can answer.
We have a hummingbird feeder right outside our kitchen window. We enjoy watching the hummingbirds which have been abundant all summer. However, neither my husband nor I have seen a male hummingbird. The ruby throats are easy to spot so I know I have not seen any male birds. I believe in New Hampshire the ruby-throated hummers are the only species to be seen. Our birds are shades of green and vary in size. Any help you can give would be appreciated.”
As far as I know the Rufous hummingbird is the only other species of hummingbird that is infrequently seen in New Hampshire. Severalyearsago, thanks to a Hopkinton reader, I was able to photograph a male Rufous in their garden.
It is true that the male ruby-throat has a beautiful red gorget (throat patch) but the light has to be just right to see it, otherwise it appears black.
Generally speaking, the male takes very little interest in its young. The female builds the nest, lays two white, pea bean size eggs, does all the brooding and teaches the young what they need to know to survive. Occasionally, a male ruby-throat will buzz about the brooding female on her nest, appearing to offer some protection from predators, but rarely.
Most males, after mating, take little or no interest in anything but themselves, move about a territory and even begin their fall migration. Fledged young ruby-throats look much like females, so many more hummers can be seen at feeders in fall.
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