What is this hatchling turtle?
Yesterday evening, as Esau the dog and I walked along the road in the last light of the day, we spotted a strange small shape almost under our feet.

Tiny turtle on the road
It is a tiny turtle, completely still, on the road.
Its strange eyes make it look almost like a child’s toy dropped carelessly from a stroller. Almost. I have that strange gathering of the insides that I feel when I see an animal unexpectedly. I pick up the little creature to see if it’s alive. It is.
I know it’s generally best to leave baby animals where one finds them. But I can’t leave it on the road. And does it need water or land? I think it may be a baby snapping turtle, but I’m not sure. Do snappers live in salty water? Because Mecox Bay is the only water around. It is brackish rather than full salt, as it is only occasionally open to the ocean. Most of the year, it is more like a salt water pond.

Whichever way you choose, Mecox Bay at sunset is gorgeous.
I bring the little turtle home and leave it on the deck while I go inside to look for a guide book that will help me identify it.

Beach house guide books, accumulated over the decades by family and renters.
There are books on flowers, trees, birds, mammals, sea creatures, sea shells, rocks and stars. Not a word on reptiles. Well, the sea creature book has sea turtles, but I can tell this little guy doesn’t have a sea turtle’s flippers. So what are some identifying traits of the tiny turtle?
It is about half the size of my thumb.

Tom Half-a-thumb
Or you could say it is probably about the size of silver dollar. Here it is next to a quarter.

Small turtle.
It has huge, dark eyes. Or rather, the structure that contains the eye is huge and bulging. The eye itself is inside the bulge.

Eyes like chocolate drops
The shell, or carapace is fairly flat, though rough, and ridged. The color is a dark, earthy-looking brown. (The first photo, taken with my iPhone in fading light, does not accurately convey the deep mud color.) The tail is very long and mobile. The little turtle does not seem able to retract fully into its shell.

Look at that tail.
It has an impressive set of claws.

Long claws, tiny feet.
I do a quick google search, but find no satisfactory answers. I decide to leave it to make its own way in nature, placing it under a hedge in a protected spot. It just sits there and doesn’t move.
Explore posts in the same categories: 2012, Fall, In the Country, Seasons, turtles, Wildlife/Natural HistoryDear readers, I’m sure some of you can easily identify this little guy for me. Please leave a comment with your thoughts on what kind of turtle this is, and on what you think I should have done with it.
Tags: hatchling turtle on eastern Long Island, snapping turtle brackish water, tiny baby turtle found, tiny turtle, what kind of turtle is this, what to do with baby turtle
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September 26, 2012 at 1:39 pm
I missed this post initially. That serrated edge to the carapace is the give-away. None of our other turtles have those dinosaur-points. Here are a couple shots of ones I’ve come across: baby http://matthewwills.com/2012/06/15/lil-snapper/
adult http://matthewwills.com/2010/05/08/field-notes-snapping-turtle/
September 27, 2012 at 9:25 am
Thanks, Matthew. Your posts are great. The size of the tail on the adult in the second link is impressive. Remarkable growth when you see the tiny oh-s-vulnerable hatchlings.
September 21, 2012 at 9:42 pm
As for identifying the young fellow – other than saying he is adorable I haven’t a clue, Sorry. But what would I have done?I think I would have placed him on the shoulder of the road in whatever direction he seemed to have been travelling. Well, not on the shoulder – further in the brush
Pra.ying for him.
September 22, 2012 at 9:17 pm
Thanks for the reply! He is a snapper, and I have since found Turtle Rescue of the Hamptons that cares for turtles all over long Island and even, I believe, NYC. The number, in case any readers need it, is 631-779-3737. What they recommend with such a tiny turtle is to put it in a tupperware with a little water and bring it to them. They woul dhave kept it through the winter to give it a headstart, then release it in the spring. They will also come pick up a turtle anywhere on Long Island, if you can’t bring it to them. I’ll be writing a post about them soon.
September 21, 2012 at 11:06 am
Yep, baby snapper….very hardy and like Barbara says they are good at figuring out what they need. Good website..:D
September 21, 2012 at 12:19 pm
Thanks, Margot!
April 20, 2015 at 6:51 pm
An alligator snapper at that be careful 4-6months they get dangerous
September 21, 2012 at 10:59 am
I recommend putting it on inaturalist.org and asking for help with the ID
September 21, 2012 at 12:19 pm
Great idea, Mark, although I think the i.d. as a snapper is now clear. I’m delighted to know about http://www.inaturalist.org & look forward to exploring it.
September 21, 2012 at 10:51 am
Yes. It’s a baby snapping turtle. I had one of that size in a fish tank for a few weeks.
September 21, 2012 at 12:16 pm
Thank you, retrieverman. What happened to your snapper in a fish tank?
September 21, 2012 at 10:45 am
Definitely a baby snapper Mel, we used to have lots in Ontario, and they are remarkably hardy – if you leave it where it is and it can dig into the dirt it will likely hibernate there for the winter. They live on all kinds of insects, worms etc… it will find what it needs… late in the season for this wee thing though – boy it’s tiny… amazing that you found it. here is a website that is filled with information – http://www.incredibleworld.ca/index.php/incrediblespecies/snappingturtle
These creatures are an endangered species in Canada. They are as old as the dinosaurs as a species and cannot hide in their shells the way other turtles do. I’ve never seen one so small but have seen one about two and a half feet across, swimming in a freshwater lake – scared me silly. Good thing they’re shy in the water and swim away fast if approached.
Hope everyone has fun learning about this little guy –
September 21, 2012 at 12:15 pm
Thanks so much for the informative reply, Barbara, and the link to that amazing video. The little snappers emerging from the eggs look exactly like my little guy. I had no idea snappers were endangered in Canada. I worried that the hatchling needed to be in water, so am relieved to hear you say that it may just dig in and survive the winter. It’s not far at all to the brackish Mecox Bay, but this little guy was so tiny that even a short distance seems like a marathon.
I looked for it this morning, but can’t find it. Am hoping that means it’s safely ensconced.
September 21, 2012 at 10:35 am
Poor little turtle. I wonder what snapping turtle habitats look like….and if there was one near where you found it. I suppose that would be like looking for a needle in the bay, but (not knowing the area and if it hasn’t moved by tomorrow), I think I would take it back close to where I found it….please keep us up to date!
September 21, 2012 at 12:08 pm
Good advice. I actually didn’t move it far from where I found it, but into a far more protected spot.
September 21, 2012 at 10:13 am
It does look like a baby snapping turtle, but I am no expert either…
September 21, 2012 at 10:29 am
Thanks, Vlad. I still think snapper is most likely, and have since learned that they do sometimes live in brackish waters. Stay tuned…
September 21, 2012 at 10:06 am
Gopher turtle
September 21, 2012 at 10:27 am
Thank you but I don’t think so, Poon. I believe NY is out of the range of gopher tortoises, which seem to be confined to the south. Also the general look of the gopher – and I admit this is based on a quick google search & a visit to Defenders of Wildlife & – doesn’t seem to match the little hatchling I found. The gopher has a much more domed carapace. The claws of my turtle would certainly make me think of a digger like the gopher turtle, though!