Snapping Turtle kills adult
male Northern Shoveler
Farm Island marsh, from the causeway
May 16, 2013
I saw this Northern Shoveler struggling to get
free from something, but I couldn't tell what.
Then the big snapper lifted up out of the water.
For an hour I watched the struggle as the duck
got weaker.
The snapper never let up, what else did it have to do?
Somehow it had to kill
the duck. The water was too shallow to pull it under.
I saw painted turtles moving in on the turtle too (see the painted turtle head
under the shoveler's bill).
The end is near. Painted turtle between the
duck and the snapper.
The snapper released its hold on the foot and
took the duck by the neck.
At this point the duck seemingly could have escaped but didn't.
The snapper has complete control of the
struggle now.
One hour and ten minutes after I first noticed
the struggle, the shoveler is dead.