Troop C's Resident Turtle A Happy Guy Lately With All This Rain

TOLLAND, CT — With all this rain lately, the resident turtle at the state police Troop C barracks in Tolland has been a happy guy.

Rain showers, strong thunderstorms and the remnants of Tropical Storm Elsa have kept the streams, ponds and boggy areas near Troop C very wet over the past two weeks. The barracks are located on Tolland Stage Road near the Interstate 84 Exit 69 interchange.

The water level at one of the turtle's favorite spots — a drainage pond adjacent to the Troop C driveway — was higher than it has been in years.

"Oh yeah, he's lived here for a while," one dispatcher said.

On Monday morning, as more rain pelted the area, the turtle seemed content to hang out in the middle of the driveway. Troopers are careful not to hit him when he ventured away from the pond. He has not caused any serious delays in response time, however.

According to the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection's turtle page, the common snapping turtle — the state’s largest freshwater turtle — is easily recognized by its dark upper shell that measures 8-to-12 inches on an average adult, and the turtles can weigh between 10 and 35 pounds.

DEEP officials said snapping turtles have a long tail covered with bony plates, a large head, long neck, and a sharp and hooked upper jaw.

According to the DEEP, snapping turtles can be found in a wide variety of aquatic habitats, especially those with slow-moving water and a soft, muddy or sandy bottom. They inhabit almost any permanent or semi-permanent body of water, including marshes, creeks, swamps, bogs, pools, lakes, streams, and rivers.

They typically occupy home ranges of 4 to 22 acres, depending on the size of the wetland, DEEP officials said.

Snapping turtles can even tolerate brackish water (mixture of seawater and fresh water, according to the DEEP.

Snapping turtles feed on plants, insects, spiders, worms, fish, frogs, small turtles, snakes, birds, crayfish, small mammals and carrion and "plant matter" accounts for about a third of the diet, according to the DEEP. Young turtles will forage for food, but older turtles often hang motionless in the water and ambush their prey by lunging forward with the head at high speed and powerful jaws.

The nesting season for turtles runs from April through November, with most of the nesting in southern New England occurring in late May through June, according to the DEEP.

They can live up to 40 years, state environmental officials say.