Video: Snapping Turtle vs. GoPro on a Stick
OutdoorHub Staff 07.21.16
An honest fact about snapping turtles is that in most cases they don’t want to be your friend. Common snappers will happily extend their necks in the blink of an eye and grab ahold of whatever is in their reach, but most would prefer not to spend a lot of quality time with you. Jayson Sutherland, however, has a turtle buddy that is a little more chill.
For 15 to 20 years, a common snapping turtle has been hanging around his dock. When you have such company that visits frequently and has powerful jaws, you might as well try to make friends, or at least establish a civil coexistence. So with that in mind, Sutherland spent some time handling his aquatic neighbor, and it appears the turtle got accustomed to the attention and decided to be cool with it.
Attaching a GoPro to a stick, Sutherland submerged the camera into the water below to get a good shot of the snapper and his hangout. The turtle swims about, minding his own business, seemingly oblivious to the camera’s presence. It is us, however, who are in for a treat as we glimpse the magnificent animal in its natural environment.
Clearly a warrior, this turtle displays a good-sized hole in its shell. What is also displayed is good manners in not snapping the GoPro to pieces, which is probably the most appreciated gesture of all.
