Snapping Turtle
Length: 8-17¾”
Diet: omnivorous (dead animals, insects, fish, birds, small mammals, amphibians, and a large amount of aquatic plants)
Clutch Size: 15-50 eggs
Did You Know: The gender of the young depends on the temperature of the nest. Higher temperatures produce more females; cooler temperatures produce more males.*
*Info from Travis Brady, director of strategic initiatives, Greenburgh Nature Center
Red-Eared Slider
Length: 10-12”
Alias: red-eared terrapin
Diet: omnivorous (aquatic vegetation, small fish, and decaying material, such as dead fish and frogs)
Clutch Size: 2-30 eggs
Did You Know: Spread by the pet trade (it’s the most popular pet turtle in the US and the most commonly traded reptile worldwide), they’ve become an invasive species with a negative impact on pond ecosystems.
Timber Rattlesnake
Rare find!
Length: 30-60”
Aliases: canebrake rattlesnake, banded rattlesnake
Diet: carnivorous (small mammals mostly, but also small birds, frogs, and even other snakes)
Clutch Size: 5 to 20 young (it doesn’t lay eggs like other pit vipers; instead, the eggs are kept inside the female’s body until they hatch)
Did You Know: This is the third-largest venomous snake in the US and one of North America’s most dangerous snakes, due to its size and high venom yield; however, the species’ relatively mild temperament and a lengthy hibernation period mean there aren’t that many bites.
