Since I was a kid, I have always had turtles. Thought it was kinda neat to walk around wearing your house. Living in southeast Louisiana, with our canals and bayous you always seem to be able to find them. Today, species that could be caught at any given time in those days, are getting harder and harder to find. I remember a trip across Lake Ponchartrain in the piney woods of St. Tammany Parish after a summer rain you would rescue 10 to 12 box turtles crossing the road, Or a trip down the bayou would bring a back seat full of terrapins and snappers. Although you don't see these species so readily anymore you can always find a few pic's of them in the swamp.

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The Alligator Snapper (Macroclemys temmincki)

Size: 14"- 26+" over 200lb.

Distribution: Gulf States, Ark., W. Tenn. Iowa, Ind.

Biology: Annual clutch of eggs (10 to 50) April, May, & June with a 10 to 16 week incubation period.

Of all the predators you find in the swamp, this one looks most like something you would find in Jurassic Park with the exception of the alligator himself. Snappers live in dark slow-moving waters camouflaged in the mud, patiently waiting with their mouths open for some unsuspecting victim. The floor of his mouth is equipped with a pink bifurcated fleshy filament that resembles a worm to lure his prey into his death trap jaws. Often his shell is covered with algae and the only way he can be detected is by the bubbles of swamp gas he stirs as he walks across the bottom. A good eye can tell the difference between a gator and a turtle.

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Size: Male 4 - 5.5", Females 6 - 9".

Distribution: Coastal Gulf & Atlantic.

Biology: Clutch contains 4-18 eggs laid in April & May with a 9 to 15-week incubation period.

This handsome fellow can be found in the salt and brackish marshes of south Louisiana. He's an omnivorous turtle that spends much of the day basking on mud flats or logs and searching the marsh for snails, crabs, clams and marine worms. One of the best places to see one of these guys is in the brackish canal along LA-1 between Fourchon and Grand Island in Louisiana. There are 7 subspecies throughout the US, mainly holding to the coastal Gulf of Mexico and Atlantic. Hunted for their meat and depletion of their habitat this species numbers were greatly reduced. With wetland laws in place these turtles are making a comeback. I must note the kids refer to them as the mustache turtles.

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3-Toed & 4-Toed Eastern Box Turtles (Terrapene carolina)

Size: 4 - 8.5 ".

Distribution: Eastern and Southeastern United States.

Biology: Several clutches containing 3-8 eggs laid in May, June & July with a 10 to 14 week incubation period.

Since I was a kid we have been rescuing these turtles off the road. Riding on country roads in St. Tammany & Washington Parish after a rain my father would stop and I would jump out of the car and pick them up before they got hit. Today these same roads have been populated with people and new subdivisions are popping up everyday. The pine forest of this region is all but gone leaving the Box Turtle with no place to live. During the turpentine days of the 20's according to my Grandmother it wasn't unusual to have one of them walk through the camps daily, although they didn't call them box turtles they were called Terrapins. Today you still see one every-now-&-then walking across the road and I'll go out my way to pick him up and find a safe place to release him. Very cool turtle indeed. (One other note, I have found the swamp variety are very aggressive to one another.)

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Gopher Tortoise (Gopherus polyphemus)

Size: 10 - 15"

Distribution: Southern Gulf States.

Biology: Several clutches containing 2-7 eggs laid in April to June with a 12 to 16 week incubation period.

A really hard to find turtle around here. Spending most of his time in a burrow, he can be found north of Lake Pontchartrain in the rolling hills of Washington Parish. They are often found sunning themselves in front of their borrows, which they share with rattlesnakes and rats. These turtles were also hunted for their meat. A tub was placed at ground level at the entrance of their borrow for them to fall in when they came out to bask. Protected now this magnificent species doesn't travel very far from their borrows except when they mate. The easiest place to find one of them is a place called by the locals, Devil's Backbone in Pearl River County, Miss. But I must warn you it's very easy to get lost in there and some of the biggest rattlers in Mississippi take up residence there.

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