Hello again.  I have a little bit of time before I have to be back in class for the Summer Institute, so just for fun I thought I would post a wikipedia article about alligator snapping turtles.  Here’s the gist of it… “The alligator snapping turtle is the largest freshwater turtle in North America…  It is a larger and slightly less agressive relative of the Common Snapping Turtle…”  Oh, that’s good news.  Why?  Let’s continue… “There is an unverified report of a 403-pound alligator snapping turtle found in the Neosho River in Kansas in 1937, but the largest one actually recorded is 236 pounds, and housed at Brookefield Zoo in Chicago, Illinois.  They generally do not grow that large…”  Hmm, glad to know that.  “Average adult size is around 26 inches in shell length with a weight of 175 pounds.”

But here’s my favorite part, the part that makes me want to go catch one right now, just to say I did:  “The alligator snapping turtle possesses extraordinary bite strength, and can be quite aggressive when cornered.  These turtles must be handled with extreme care.”

Okay, enough science lessons.  Until later…

– “There’s no turning back now that you’ve opened up to your mind.”