Snapping Turtle

Frogs and toads were not the only herps we encountered during Saturday's field trip. Near the start of our trip, we encountered this Snapping Turtle that was crossing the road along one of the dikes, so we stopped to take a look. It did not seem happy about our presence, as it reared up on its hind legs a few times, but it did not attack anyone. This individual was about a foot long; I have seen much larger individuals.

Its back was partially wet and covered with some vegetative matter. The long green strands are bladderwort stems. Bladderwort is a predatory plant with bladder-like sacs that suck in invertebrates that happen to swim past.