Snapping turtle in the Phragmites of Prospect Park Lake.
For months I have been chasing the biggest animal in Prospect Park, an enormous snapping turtle, hoping to get a picture, or at least a glimpse. The turtle–along with a similar one in nearby Green-Wood Cemetery–would be a fantastic urban legend–were it not for the photographic proof that they really exist.
Plenty of people say they saw a huge turtle–and almost universally describe her as “big as a garbage can lid.” The captain of the lake boat says it lives near the Terrace Bridge that crosses the Lullwater. Fishermen report seeing it just the other side of that bride. Last year a huge nesting snapping turtle got caught in the fence by the boathouse and a park worker who handles lots of wildlife says he thinks it lives in the center of the lake.
Meanwhile, in Green-Wood, it’s the Crescent Water, a smallish pond near the southern end of the graveyard, that holds a huge turtle, according to Rob Jett, an incredibly skilled birder who leads tours of the cemetery.
Snapping turtle in Green-Wood, by Jeremy Seto
The giant turtle in Prospect Park may be “Godzilla,” a favorite turtle that was moved from the Brooklyn Botanic Garden when they drained their Japanese Garden pond. People who didn’t want to drain the pond cited the giant turtle as a reason not to. Then–just like in the News Radio episode where everyone loved the office’s one nice, friendly rat named Mike–until they figured out that there were a dozen or so of him–the garden drained the pond and discovered a whole group of Godzillas.
So there may be one each in Prospect Park and Green-Wood or there may be a whole bunch. This is the best time of year to see them–when females come out of the water to lay eggs. I’ve seen a baby snapping turtle, an economy or mid-sized one, but never one that I would compare to a garbage can lid. Mind you, almost all of the turtles you see in New York City are just red-eared sliders–abandoned pets–not powerful snapping turtles.
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