You know what pisses me off though?

When people post a picture of a snapping turtle and say “This is why I don’t swim in our local lakes.”

Snapping turtles have such a bad reputation. But in reality, they are incredibly shy creatures. And, if tamed, they can be really friendly. A snapping turtle will never ever bite a person swimming in a lake. The only time a snapping turtle will strike is if it feels threatened, on land. Also, it will almost always purposely miss the first strike, just as a warning, and then proceed to defend itself. It’s just survival, after all. Almost all turtles will resort to biting when they feel threatened. But unlike most other turtles, snapping turtles can’t actually hide in their shell. 

Another reason why people don’t like snappers is because of their appearance and size. They aren’t as beautiful as some of the other basking turtle species, but they look prehistoric. I like to think of them as modern dinosaurs. 

If you just read this, you most likely think I’m weird.