IDFG: Snapping turtles pose problem in area

DOVER — Snapping turtles have settled in Dover, or at least that is what he keeps hearing from Dover residents, when Casey McCormack of the Idaho Department of Fish and Game goes out to look for them.

McCormack told the Lakes Commission at their quarterly meeting Wednesday about the potential threats posed by snapping turtles to the area. While IDFG officials have gotten a few notices here and there over the last 10 years or so about snapping turtles, last summer saw a flurry of observations from Dover.

McCormack, a non-game biologist for Fish and Game in the Idaho Panhandle, said the turtles are, for now, minor pests – as far as IDFG can tell. Since they pose a threat to many native species, Fish and Game is hoping to nip them in the bud next spring, before anything could get too out of hand.

“The main issue they pose,” he said, “is that they are pretty effective predators.”

While snapping turtles are not aggressive, they can be dangerous especially for curious pets or kids, McCormack said. The conservation officer also warned that if someone puts their finger too close and the snapping turtle is big enough, they could lose their finger.

“We don’t really have a strong grasp of how big of a problem they are right now,” he said. He believes they are limited to the Dover area, however, by alerting the public, McCormack hopes to spur more public reports of potential sightings.

McCormack said painted turtles have reddish-orange coloration at the edge of their shells and yellow patterning on their neck, as well as a very colorful underbelly. Snapping turtles get much larger than painted turtles, their shells are more robust, and have a very powerful, defined beak.

McCormack told commission members that he is looking to do basic population control with simple capture techniques in the Dover area, and any other areas should they arrive. His office received one video of a snapping turtle apparently digging a nest to lay eggs near a road in Dover.

Fish and game officials said snapping turtles were likely introduced as pets, but threaten a variety of species. The nascent menace will eat pretty much anything they can fit in their mouth, McCormack said, including amphibians, reptiles, waterfowl, and fish. If allowed to spread, they could end up causing any number of issues.

McCormack attempted to trap some of the snapping turtles in late summer in Dover, but said the season was not ideal. He plans another attempt in the spring now that he has a better idea of their location.

While snapping turtles have been reported in the area, McCormack said he suspects their survival rate is not that high, since their preferred habitat is in the southeastern United States. While each nest could, in theory, produce a dozen or so hatchlings, McCormack estimated that the number of those that migrate and survive each year are probably very slim.

To alert Idaho about invasive species, call the Idaho Invasive Species Hotline at 1-877-336-8676. To share documentation or other concerns, email Casey McCormack at Casey.McCormack@idfg.idaho.gov.