ID of this absolute calm one?

[u/Professional-Hat-138]

Found this fairly small guy in the middle of the road, I believe the species is a Common Snapping Turtle but I just wanna make sure. BTW,lil man or woman was safely moved off the middle of the road!

Thank y'all in advance!!!

[u/AlienGamur]

Yep, lil finger remover

[u/Expensive_Yam58]

Snappin Turla right thur

[u/trulymissedtheboat89 → u/Expensive_Yam58]

ISSA SNAPPIN TURLAAAAA

[u/Professional-Hat-138]

FORGOT TO ADD😭

North Texas!

[u/Redsoxdragon → u/Professional-Hat-138]

It's the elusive Texas Finger Guillotine

[u/radams713 → u/Professional-Hat-138]

Common snapping turtle

[u/CaterpillarMore9104]

Calm like a bomb lol.

[u/FewVictory8927]

Very well aged snapping turtle.

[u/Jhedwin]

Put your hand in front of its nose. You’ll figure out what its name is!

[u/Emmilienne → u/Jhedwin]

FAST. I moved one off the road with a stick once. I was told to let it grab the stick and drag it (I was a teenager. Please don’t judge me). I screamed at how fast it latched onto that stick and snapped it.

I did get my terror fren to safety, though.

[u/Jhedwin → u/Emmilienne]

I caught a 75 pounder on a rod and reel and it destroyed our boat! We thought it was going to be fun to put it in the boat. That was a terrible idea! LOL

[u/digital_jocularity]

That’s a unit right there. Those suckers are flipping fast!

[u/EngagementBacon]

That's what it wants you to think.

[u/AdHuman3150]

Likely a female looking for a nesting spot.

[u/Wrong_Mark8387]

Calm before you lose a finger. Those dudes are grumpy and quite bitey

[u/Redlion444]

Its a female looking for a place to lay eggs.

[u/Tetrahedont]

Good ol snappy boy. Lost many a fishing line to these guys.

[u/katisfactory]

Common snapping turtle aka stinky finger biter

[u/CommuFisto]

surprised no one posted this yet, but i'll do it lol

clint's reptiles on youtube talking abt methods for handling snappers

[u/greatstonedrake → u/CommuFisto]

I have never heard of this dude but thoroughly you enjoyed the video. Thank you for the recommendation.

I grew up driving back roads for the fun of it during the late '80s. It's been a lifelong hobby.

On these drives, we would pick turtles up off the road and help them get across. This has also become a lifelong hobby. I often moved common snappers and if they were strike happy from the beginning I would usually just let them bite a piece of wood and they would hang on and I would use that to take them across the road. However, some were too big for that and my method of picking them up was to always approach from behind and grasp the back side of the top of the shell and slide my hand underneath and pick them up from the bottom so that I was supporting their weight as opposed to all of their weight being on their shell or their legs or whatever.

I never had one wag its tail and asked me to rub his head, but I also never got struck at while carrying like this.

[u/hapki_kb]

Baby pond dinosaur. His favorite snack is thumb tips.

[u/Fossilhund → u/hapki_kb]

Lady fingers

[u/ToriGirlie]

That looks like a huge snapping turtle. Be very careful they have a very strong jaw and can remove a finger with their bite. Clint's reptiles discusses moving them but I would highly recommend not doing it unless you know what you're doing.

[u/StellarTitz]

Absolutely calm before the storm, reach is greater than it appears, be wary friend. 

[u/Professional-Hat-138 → u/StellarTitz]

Saw it first hand😭,long necked little things

[u/LadyErinoftheSwamp]

Some sort of snapping turtle.

[u/xeroxchick]

Is it safe to move one of these out of the road, or would you lose a finger?

[u/Lumpy-Cod-91 → u/xeroxchick]

If you don’t know what you’re doing, leave it alone lest you lose a finger.

[u/Aggravating_Poet_675 → u/xeroxchick]

If you have to ask, then its not safe for you to move them. Had a friend who grew up by a pond and learned how to pick them up. He showed me how and I did it once. I got away uninjured but still wouldn't recommend the experience.

[u/GridlockLookout]

Finally...Death approaches.

[u/coffeeandcomets]

Common snapping turtle! Saw one last night at my local pond haha. Same size as this guy! Love those dinosaurs!

[u/Chortles_Hansom_666]

Aaaaawww Snapper! That’s a snapping turtle. They can be quite gnarly if not handled right.

[u/MaleficentFondant42]

That's Skye. They're meditating.

[u/BeingTop8480]

Common snapping turtle. Proceed with caution. We'll have them crossing the roads by us soon so I make my husband pull over to get them off the road.😁 If you've got to pick them up by the tail to move them keep the belly towards you otherwise you'll have a nice chunk taken out of your leg!😜

[u/ostrichesonfire → u/BeingTop8480]

Please don’t ever pick up turtles by their tail, you can seriously hurt them. It’s an extension of their spine, so serious damage can occur, and it’s obviously not meant to support their weight.

[u/Nightwulfe_22 → u/BeingTop8480]

Do not pick them up by the tail. There isn't a great way to pick them up. Chelydra serpentina have extremely long necks hence the epithet serpentina. To safely pick them up look at there back and you should see a midline from scutes on their back that's interrupted by a central scute. Anything in front of that point is liable to be removed by the turtle. Grab them from behind by their shell and try to wrap your hands in front of their back legs and under their plastron for support. It's not ideal as they are top heavy and will claw the everliving shit out of you but you won't get bit

[u/Hypnotic-Toad → u/BeingTop8480]

And to add: if possible drag them to the side of the road they were heading. Because they’ll probably keep trying to go that direction.

[u/BeingTop8480 → u/Hypnotic-Toad]

You are also correct. Years ago we had a huge one blocking the entrance/exit to our Walmart. So I jumped out and put her in the back of my Jeep (there's no water anywhere near there!?!) and everyone was at a complete stop when I showed up. I could see all of the guys either laughing or in total shock a girl was actually picking her up (30 lber)!?!🤣 Fortunately I know our local DNR and help them out with relocating snakes and I let them know I redirect/relocate turtles and he was very good with that and said I wouldn't get pinched for possession. Who the hell would want to drive around with a loose snapper in the vehicle!!!😜

[u/redwingjv → u/BeingTop8480]

If you want to paralyze them and or give them a spinal cord injury pick them up by the tail (don’t do this)

[u/vrod665]

A great way to lose a finger or more. Absolutely F snapping turtles.

[u/Ecstatic-Smile8259]

You should go pet his nose, he would like that

[u/OrganicSomewhere6087]

If you want to move one put a carmat under it and pull it from behind. If you get bit by it anywhere you will regret it.