You say Pliocene, I say Miocene

Yesterday when I was walking home past Owasso Lake this big snapping turtle was crossing the road in front of me. My heart began to pound and I didn't know if I should apathetically walk on by or try to get him/her off the road. Hubris indeed. I don't know about you, but these ancestors of prehistoric reptiles sort of creep me out. So I did a little tribal dance in the street to make him reconsider the route. All that did was annoy him at which point I caught sight of these claws! Just guessing using a fisherman's eye, I'd say the shell was probably 12-14 inches long.

I love that she had a leaf and blade of grass stuck to her shell which is usually the way I leave the house: a stick on price tag stuck to my hip or a coffee spill on my shirt front. When I finally gave up and walked away, looking back I saw this sturdy turtle slowly lift itself on all fours and creep back to the curb in the direction of the lake. Whew. . .not just another pretty face after all!