Did you know that Lac Raynaud has been home to a couple of snapping turtles for some years? The snapping turtle is the largest freshwater turtle in Canada. It is easy to recognize, with a prominent head, a curved upper jaw, and a long tail.

Its upper shell has a scalloped edge at the base of its tail. The tail is sometimes as long as the shell and is equipped with triangular scales (“points”) which protrude starting from the base. An adult is from 20 to 50 centimetres long and can live as long as 70 years.

This aquatic turtle lives in a freshwater habitat that has a slow-moving current and a muddy or sandy bottom. The common snapping turtle is an omnivorous and opportunistic reptile. A carrion eater, it plays an important role by contributing to keeping the water clean. It has few natural predators because of its size.

While it has the reputation of being a voracious and aggressive predator, it actually attacks only to defend itself or when provoked. To regulate its body temperature, it may expose itself to the sun by floating on the surface of the water, by remaining stationary in shallow water (e.g., at the edge of the shore) or by sheltering under some structure (such as a dock).

It is surprisingly quick and if you annoy it or try to grab it, it will bite you before you know it! Its neck is very long, its jaws are quite strong, and it would easily be able to bite off a finger, although no such attack has been proven to date.

As a conservation area, the Domaine Saint-Bernard had to evaluate the options available to protect the two turtles (male and female) who live in Lac Raynaud. It was eventually decided, with wildlife protection officers, to leave the two turtles in their environment and not to move them…the move being too risky and possibly compromising their survival.