Watch your step: Invasive snapping turtles in Garden City. Are they a threat?

The name Chelydra serpentina evokes colossal reptiles stomping through ancient forests. But it’s actually just the scientific name for the common snapping turtle, an invasive species that seems to be stomping not far from the Boise River.

In a Facebook post last Friday, Garden City Mayor Bill Jacobs shared a photo from a neighbor of a snapping turtle and called on residents to be on the lookout for these giants.

The main threat snapping turtles pose to Idaho is that they will eat and outcompete native species. “Because this species is not native to Idaho, our wildlife are not used to having a predator like this in their habitat,” Sydney Kennedy, a spokesperson for the Idaho Department of Agriculture, told the Idaho Statesman.

Snapping turtles are opportunistic omnivores, meaning that they’ll eat almost anything they can catch, as long as it’s small enough that they don’t have to chew it.

“Their diets can include insects, fish, reptiles, amphibians, birds and mammals, as well as plants,” said Kennedy, who went on to add that snapping turtles would be competing with native species such as the western painted turtle for resources and habitat.

Snapping turtles also could be a threat to unsuspecting pets or people.

“As their name suggests, snapping turtles can quickly lunge their necks forward and use their strong jaws to bite when threatened,” Kennedy said. “This is also how they hunt, or ambush, their prey. Aggression towards perceived threats is more likely when the turtle is on land than when it is underwater, where it can more easily escape by swimming away.”

Typically found throughout the eastern half of the United States, snapping turtles can grow up to 19 inches in length and weigh between 10 and 35 pounds. They prefer calm, freshwater habitats such as ponds or slow-moving rivers.

In the wild, they commonly live for 30 to 50 years, but a turtle named Big Snap Daddy living at the Nebraska aquarium was thought to be between 96 and 100 years old when he passed away earlier this year.

Pet to pest

If you see a snapping turtle, you should call the state’s invasive species hotline at 1-877-336-8676.

“We get no more than five phone calls in a year reporting sighting of snapping turtles in the wild. While there is not a specific population estimate, we can conclude that the snapping turtle population in Idaho is minimal,” Kennedy said.

As for where they come from, Roger Phillips, spokesperson for Idaho Fish and Game, said, “Most likely these are turtles illegally released in Idaho, and it’s unlikely we have a naturally reproducing population of them.”

There were no snapping turtles to be seen Wednesday at Kathryn Albertson Park in Boise, but there was something else there: a black-and-white speckled bunny. This domestic breed has been multiplying and wreaking havoc on gardens throughout the Boise Bench, earning the nickname “Bench bunnies.” The Statesman reported on their overpopulation last year, serving as a cautionary tale for what can happen when a non-native species gets introduced to the environment.

If you have a pet you can no longer care for, never release it into the wild, officials warn. It’s not only cruel to the animal, but it can also lead to unforeseen problems in the ecosystem. Even plants dumped out of fish tanks have been found taking over bodies of water in Idaho.

Instead, reach out to local rescue societies, post it for adoption on social media or, if it’s an invasive species, call the invasive species hotline at 1-877-336-8676.