Never underestimate the power of the snapping turtle.
I’ll never forget back when I was a kid, every time me and my friend would go out and play in the neighborhood, my mom would always warn us to stay out of the creek near our house because there were allegedly “snapping turtles.” Of course, we were never actually sure if there were actual snapping turtles in there or not, and it was probably just something my mom said so that we weren’t trespassing on our neighbors land.
However, after watching this video, I’m glad we decided to never mess around and find out. In this wild video footage, you can see a a snapping turtle submerged underwater, biting down on the heels of a Canada goose.
The goose is visibly trying to flee the scene, but the grip the snapping turtle has is so strong, it’s unable to move. It’s uncertain how the scene ends, as the video cuts out before we can see an end result, but this is just a testament to the strength a snapping turtle possesses.
The caption to the video explains:
“Snapping turtles hunt by waiting motionless in the water, often partly buried in mud or camouflaged among vegetation, with only their nostrils and eyes poking out. They remain motionless, sometimes for hours at a time, until an unsuspecting prey item comes close enough.
When a potential meal, like a fish or a frog, gets within reach, the snapping turtle will quickly extend its head and neck to capture it with a rapid, powerful bite.
A case of mistaken identity or not, the problem is, once a snapping turtle’s jaw is fully engaged (as this one seems to be) it doesn’t tend to let go until the movement of its prey (or perceived prey) gets less frantic.”
Check it out:
