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Common Snapping Turtle — Part 2
In the early summer, the female leaves the pond or stream so persistently haunted at all other times and prowls about for a place to deposit her eggs. She often wanders many feet from the water and, selecting a damp spot, scoops away the earth to form a hollow into which she crawls and moves about until the loose soil falls back over her. Thus she is hidden until the eggs are deposited and to the number of about two dozen. As she crawls forth the shell is reared to a sharp degree and the earth that has fallen upon it is left covering the eggs. They are perfectly round, white and with a thin, hard shell.
As the Snapping Turtle is persistently aquatic the shells of many specimens become coated with moss. As they lie partially buried in the mud, in shallow water, they look much like flat stones. In such places they remain for hours, poking the extreme tip of the snout from the water to breathe. They are able to remain for long periods entirely submerged and will dive to the deepest portions of rivers where they prowl along the bottom in search of food.