To use, hold the net in the current or tow it through the water. Living in the mud doesn t sound like much fun, but a snapping turtle wouldn t have it any other way. Snappers, as they re called, may haunt the depths of most any body of fresh water, and they are sometimes found in brackish water marshes, too. Often lying still on the bottom, they wait for some unsuspecting prey to swim close enough to become lunch. A snapper s keen sense of smell allows it to locate dead or dying food items as well.
Fish make up a considerable portion of a snapper s diet.
Snappers are also known to feed on aquatic plants and just about any animal of an edible size that lives on or in the water, including unwary young ducklings. Snappers are decent swimmers but are not very agile on land. They rarely bask in the sun like harder-shelled turtles. Consequently, the only times we generally see snappers are when they briefly come up for air or when females leave the water to lay eggs. Although the snapping turtle has the reputation for a nasty disposition, it s aggressive towards humans primarily when the animal is out of the water.