Hey Michigan! What's in Your Back Yard?? - Saline 6/5/08

It's not a bird but it's out there. How would you like to wake up one morning to find this in your back yard - under your bedroom window? Well, Tim Pincikowski's wife woke up this morning to find this Alligator Snapping Turtle. She sent this picture (and several others) to him this morning at work. According to The Center for Reptile and Amphibian Conservation and Management: "This turtle sticks to river systems that drain into the Gulf of Mexico and can be found in the north from Kansas, Illinois and Indiana, to the Gulf; including Florida and eastern Texas. It can weigh well over 200 pounds with a shell length of 31 inches and a head as large as 9.5 inches. This turtle is State Endangered in Indiana and Illinois. It can also be found in Iowa, and is considered imperiled in Missouri." I've seen Snapping Turtles but never one like this.

My "Thanx" to Tim for letting me post this picture on my blog. Til my next post.