On this date in 1916, it was announced that North Dakota would help supply the dining cars of the Northern Pacific Railroad. A Montpelier farmer secured a contract to provide cucumbers and muskmelons. North Dakota would also supply snapping turtles! One thousand pounds of turtles had shipped from Jamestown.
The snapping turtle is an ancient species. Turtles appeared more than 200 million years ago. The snapping turtle is the largest turtle in North Dakota. They can live to be 40 years old. They leave the water in late spring and early summer to find a suitable nesting site. They sometimes take advantage of an abandoned muskrat hut or beaver lodge. It has become increasingly difficult for the turtles to avoid humans. They sometimes build their nests in gravel areas like roads or railroad grades.
Nesting is a dangerous time for female turtles. They like to build their nests at dusk and dawn when they are hardest to see. Consequently, the search for a nesting site makes it more likely they can be hit by a car when crossing a road.
The female turtle digs a hole, lays her eggs, and packs the dirt on top. She then returns to the water. Once the eggs hatch, the baby turtles are on their own. They dig out of the nest and instinctively seek water. They are vulnerable to predators like coyotes, snakes, and birds. They can even drown because they are not yet good swimmers. If they survive to the age of two, they are very likely to reach adulthood and mate around the ripe old age of 15.
Snapping turtles have a reputation for being aggressive and dangerous. They do not have teeth, but their jaws are very strong – they can break a person’s finger. If they are in the water, they will swim away from a threat, but on land, they will warn off an attack by stretching out their long necks while hissing and snapping.
The North Dakota Department of Game and Fish considers snapping turtles an important component in the balance of the state’s environment. The turtles have been found in forty-three of North Dakota’s 53 counties. The department is conducting an extensive study to determine how best to manage this valuable resource.
Dakota Datebook written by Carole Butcher
Sources:
North Dakota Game and Fish. “Moss-back Makeover.” https://gf.nd.gov/magazine/2016/oct/snapping-turtle#:~:text=Snapping%20turtles%20are%20the%20largest%20of%20the%20five,Oahe%20and%20a%20few%20of%20its%20main%20tributaries. Accessed 7/11/2020.
Golden Valley Chronicle. “Furnish NP Dining Cars with Cucumbers.” Beach ND. 8/11/1916. Page 1.
