It has been just over a year since I witnessed a Common
Snapping Turtle laying eggs in an ant hill constructed Allegheny Mound
Ants. That was the first time I had seen
an ant hill chosen as a nest site for turtle eggs. Now the turtle is back and repeating last
year’s performance.
The ants are naturally disturbed by her intrusion and are
trying their best to defend their home.
The turtle’s eye is probably the only place sensitive enough to be
bothered by an ant’s bite. Sight is not
needed for the turtle’s egg laying activity, so the eyes can be kept closed to
keep the ants at bay.
On the other side of her head, the ants are all busy futilely
attaching the thick neck skin, so the turtle keeps that eye open. She gave no indication that she noticed my
presence.
The ants quickly abandon attacking parts of the turtle that
do not move. The turtle’s hind legs are
targets of constant ant attack because they are continually moving to push the
eggs into the nest chamber.
The turtle finished laying her clutch soon after I
arrived. I left when she began covering
the freshly layed eggs. I kept a watch
on last year’s nest in hopes of seeing the emergence of young turtles, but I
missed seeing that event. I can attest
that there was no evidence that egg eating predators bothered the nest. Maybe the ants provide protection to the
developing turtles.
This is the condition in which I find most Snapping Turtle
nests. I found the remains of this nest
just hours after witnessing the placement of the ant hill clutch. Maybe ant hills are the best place for turtle
eggs.
Just witnessed ants eating all eggs in turtle best...had put cage over nest to protect from predation, but ants devoured
ReplyDeleteLittle turtles out of shells and dragged shell casings out of nest much like in your picture...seems your turtle was on suicide mission using ant hill as best!