Snapping Turtle "Big Mama" in our yard

Well... we had an unexpected visitor today. This female snapper, we'll call her "Big Mama", was assisted by a passerby as she attempted to cross the road to our yard. The earliest we've ever had a snapper nest in our yard was June 1st, followed by June 6th, June 12, June 16th. Granted this grand dame did not lay eggs today, although I expect she'll be back soon as this was her sole purpose for risking her life to cross our busy roadway. I think she was a bit "shell-shocked" at being carried across the road! 

She looks like she must be quite old, and a neighbor said that he'd seen her nesting in his yard before. Her shell is so incredibly worn with cracks and damaged with indents here and there. And, she is one big, heavy old gal!

Her tail has bony plates like those of her predecessors of 60-100 million years ago! Although, it is difficult to see here as her tail is curled under her shell.

This lady, like all snappers, has formidable claws and you must be cautious when around them, especially if you try to carry them across a street.

Always wear heavy, gauntlet style gloves and carry them by the back edge of their shell. Check out those bony plates on her skin!

Snapping turtles have strong jaws and can bite hard if provoked on land. Don't be fooled, her neck is very long! In the water, they tend to swim away to safety.

We were disturbed to see that this turtle seemed to have an old hook embedded into her head. It must have been there for a long time. It must be so dangerous for turtles, and other aquatic animals, in ponds like ours where fishing is so popular. There are lures, hooks, and line everywhere!

Once she was well rested, she turned around and headed back across the street to the pond. She'll be back to deposit her eggs into a soft, sandy spot, probably on a rainy day.