Man Reels in a Massive Surprise While Trolling for Catfish
- 10 years ago
A man named Dave Harrell posted a photo featuring a turtle to the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife's Facebook page. He had been fishing in Lake Eufaula with a rod and reel in an effort to catch catfish when he pulled up what is thought to be an alligator snapping turtle.
Have you ever had an up-close encounter with a snapping turtle?
A recently captured photo of a Florida man holding onto a turtle has gone viral. The popularity of the picture may have to do with the fact that the man is firmly holding onto what appears to be a huge snapping turtle.
Dave Harrell posted the photo to the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife's Facebook page. He had been fishing in Lake Eufaula with a rod and reel in an effort to catch catfish.
Instead, he pulled up the turtle. He and his friend Audey Clark pulled it into the boat for photos.
At this point, it’s not known if the creature is a common snapping turtle or an alligator snapping turtle, a species far more rare.
Alligator snapping turtles are the biggest freshwater turtles in North America. (3,1,1) Often called ‘the dinosaur of the turtle world’, they’re typically found in canals, rivers and lakes in the southeastern U.S.
According to Todd Craighead with the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife, biologists are hoping to see additional pictures so they can determine the species.
Craighead has confirmed that it’s a decent-sized turtle and estimates its weight to be somewhere around 50 pounds. Judging by the one photo posted on the Facebook book, Craighead suspects it’s an alligator snapping turtle because of the wart-like bumps around the base of its neck.
Have you ever had an up-close encounter with a snapping turtle?
A recently captured photo of a Florida man holding onto a turtle has gone viral. The popularity of the picture may have to do with the fact that the man is firmly holding onto what appears to be a huge snapping turtle.
Dave Harrell posted the photo to the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife's Facebook page. He had been fishing in Lake Eufaula with a rod and reel in an effort to catch catfish.
Instead, he pulled up the turtle. He and his friend Audey Clark pulled it into the boat for photos.
At this point, it’s not known if the creature is a common snapping turtle or an alligator snapping turtle, a species far more rare.
Alligator snapping turtles are the biggest freshwater turtles in North America. (3,1,1) Often called ‘the dinosaur of the turtle world’, they’re typically found in canals, rivers and lakes in the southeastern U.S.
According to Todd Craighead with the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife, biologists are hoping to see additional pictures so they can determine the species.
Craighead has confirmed that it’s a decent-sized turtle and estimates its weight to be somewhere around 50 pounds. Judging by the one photo posted on the Facebook book, Craighead suspects it’s an alligator snapping turtle because of the wart-like bumps around the base of its neck.