A video surfaced online in June of a snapping turtle truly living up to its name. The video, posted by Jeremiah Kilcoyne on Viral Hog, shows the turtle 'snapping up' a nearby water snake. It quickly went viral with 5.1 million views and offers an incredible glimpse of the underwater lives of snapping turtles and their fearsome speed.
The snapping turtle can be seen lying in ambush, hiding under a rock in a clear, flowing stream in Manhattan, Kansas. Just the sharp beak of the turtle protrudes from the rock. On a nearby rock, a small, brightly-colored water snake suns itself, completely unaware of its impending doom.
The turtle dips its head underwater, extending its neck as it moves smoothly out from under the rock. Someone can be heard urging the turtle on in the background— "Get the snake, get the snake, get it!"
A mere inch from the snake, the turtle suddenly pops its head out of the water and snatches up the snake with incredible speed. It drags the splashing victim back to its lair to the cheers of onlookers.
It's hard to tell what species of snapping turtle is in the video; there are three in the United States, the common snapping turtle, the alligator snapping turtle, and the Suwannee alligator snapping turtle. All three species are underwater omnivores, and eat plants like algae, pond lilies, and bog moss. They also prey on smaller animals such as tadpoles, fish, smaller turtles, snails, and snakes, like the unlikely fellow in the video.
As evidenced in the video, snapping turtles have incredibly powerful jaws and long necks, which they use to snap up their prey. This can also make them very dangerous to handle, so if you come across a snapping turtle that needs to be moved (say, it's in the middle of the road), make sure to never place your hands near the front half of the turtle. Your fingers may end up just like that snake!
READ MORE: 6 Snakes in North America You Don't Want to Mess With
