R. K. Cook's video: Eastern River Cooter Turtle Lays Egg Conceals Nest

HANK WILDING'S JOURNAL: Dang the luck! I was present for the laying of only one egg by this Eastern River Cooter mama, who likely laid a clutch of 12-20 eggs the June 2015 morning I discovered her making her nest mere feet from a rural cul-de-sac in Henry County, Georgia. Oh, well, it was a rare opportunity to admire Big Mama's purty carapace (upper shell) up close, as bashful cooters are famous for sliding off a log if you so much as look at 'em. Once Big Mama had packed the last egg down, she set about concealing the nest using her incredibly powerful hind feet, and then headed back to either Big or Little Cotton Indian Creek, both about a quarter mile away as the crow flies, taking an impossible-to-follow route through deep woods. A little story. Many years ago I rescued a male river cooter — much smaller than the female of the species — from a busy country road before it inevitably got hit. I snatched him up and quickly brought him into my truck, which my son Xander was driving. The turtle's strength, no doubt amplified by fear, was astonishing. It was like trying to hold down a tank; his sharp claws made mincemeat out of my bare legs. Well, he got away and burrowed into a cranny underneath the dash. It took close to a half hour to gently extricate the turtle, which we returned to the creek — toting him in a bucket for our safety and his. Don't just sit there and vegetate. GO WILDING!