Compared to this real, actual Michigan monster, Bigfoot is just a doofus and Dogman is a big wuss. This particular creature is no legend, no rumor, no fabrication to scare your kids into going to bed early or being good. This beast walks around exactly like the dinosaurs you see in the movies and the giant lizards you've seen in those 1950s monster movies.

What is this thing? It's something you all know about so it shouldn't be a surprise: it's the giant snapping turtle, found throughout Michigan in lakes, streams, rivers, ponds, and occasional swamplands. The movie "Jaws" scared people enough to keep them out of the ocean...the snappers may scare you enough to stay out of any inland water.

Sure, bears, wolves, coyotes, and cougars are bigger...but try to imagine a snapper the size of a bear. Then what would you think? Size-wise, the snapper wins, hands-down.

According to the Oakland County blog, the scientific name for these creatures is Chelydra Serpentine – the largest turtle in the entire state of Michigan. There is almost nothing they won't eat. They will eat fish, muskrats, crawdads, snakes, ducks, birds, frogs, rabbits, other turtles.....basically any animal that gets close enough to one. They will clamp their jaws down on deer and other four-legged creatures and have been known to attack humans. I can testify to that...I was chased by a giant snapper in a swimming pond out in the countryside and made it up the dock before it got to me. It even attempted to crawl onto the dock after me. These things are voracious.

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The last half of May and throughout June is nesting season for the snapper, and you may see one lumbering its way in lawns, on the road, or around a body of water. During the nesting, if you get too close – even unknowingly – the mama snapper will defend her eggs ferociously.

These monsters can weigh up to 50 pounds, but I've seen snappers that look like they weigh much more than that.

Do you ever go wading in your local river, stream, or brook? If you value your toes, you may want to be a little more cautious. They can be in any body of water...and camouflaged. The gallery below shows you just a few of Michigan's giant snappers...

Michigan's Most Savage Creature: The Snapping Turtle

MORE MICHIGANIA:

The Gray Beast of Bete Grise

20 of Michigan's Greatest Urban Legends

Michigan's Most Dangerous Animals

 

 

 

 

 

 

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