The rivers of Europe are being captured by the most dangerous turtle in the United States, “Death Trap,” weighing up to 130 kg (8 photos + 1 video)

Category: Animals, PEGI 0+
27 May 2024

Monsters are taking over the world. No, I'm not talking about fantastic creatures, but about a very real vulture turtle. Increasingly, there are reports of evil reptiles in Europe. Italy, England, Czech Republic, Germany, Hungary - and this is just the beginning!





Why do you need a chainsaw when you have such a living pruner?

First, let's explain why we classified this reptile as a monster. This is not an aquarium redfish! The snapping turtle is a titanic creature weighing up to 130 kg. She can live up to 200 years and grows all this time. The reptile's appetite and strength are appropriate. With one bite, it breaks bones and bites the victim in two. Literally. Its sharp beak closes with a force of 70 kg. This is twice as much as a fighting dog bite. There is no more dangerous predator among turtles.



You can find anything in a woman's handbag. Yes, even that!

The homeland of the snapping turtle is the dense swamps of the southern United States. There the predator, immersed in dirty muddy water, rests and waits for its prey. Among American bloggers, the section “Feed the snapping turtle” is especially popular. And, you know, this brilliantly demonstrates its true strength and danger to humans. Video below.

 





Little dog, run while they hold it!

As you understand, the armored monster is tough on any passing fish. To catch lunch, the reptile, hiding at the bottom, pretends to be a pebble, retracts its neck and opens its mouth. The snapping turtle does not need sophisticated hunting techniques - the prey itself will swim into the deadly jaws. Why? Language. Thin, bright pink, wriggling - even a person could easily confuse it with a worm, let alone a fish!



This red tongue protrusion is a bait to catch fish and other animals.

If it doesn’t bite, it doesn’t matter. Turtles will find prey by smell. Reptiles pick up chemosensory signals from living creatures - anyone who swims nearby is at gunpoint. Muskrats, squirrels, armadillos, snakes, birds, other turtles and even small alligators - the menu of vulture turtles is one to envy!



The snapping turtle got its name for its hooked beak.

As we have seen, vulture turtles are powerful creatures. But not enough to cross the Atlantic Ocean. How did reptiles get to the Old World? People helped them! Voluntarily!



Small turtles can be picked up from the sides of the shell, while larger ones are held behind the head and at the base of the tail to prevent them from reaching the hands with their jaws.

Someone once decided that a snapping turtle in an aquarium was a great idea. Nature lovers can understand: immediately after hatching, the animals look quite cute and hardly even try to bite off their limbs. And when the dimensions of an overseas wonder sharply increase in width, length and weight, difficulties begin with both content and character.



Young seedlings of pure anger and aggression for your aquarium!

And here is a paradox: snapping turtles, once free in Europe, become a dangerous invasive species. Due to their size, shell and bad temperament, adult snapping turtles occupy the top of the food pyramid. And in their homeland they are listed as endangered, despite all the severity!



Hey cowboy, watch your hands.

In America, turtles suffer from the destruction of eggs and young. The clutches are destroyed by predators, and the turtles are kidnapped by people. And do you know why? It’s right to make a “pet” out of a snapping turtle. Here it is, the irony: those who buy turtles for home breeding in Europe become accomplices of two environmental disasters at once!

What do we have now? Numerous cases of dangerous reptiles being discovered in bodies of water throughout Europe. The climate of at least Southern Europe is excellent for snapping turtles and roughly corresponds to their native climate in the southern United States. If conditions are truly suitable for the life of snapping turtles, and there are really as many cases of discovery as the news reports, then in a few years the rivers of Europe will be filled with hundreds and thousands of death traps in the form of snapping turtles.

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