Original subtitles

There we go.

That is our first snapping turtle of the day.

Welcome to dragon tales, guys.

You've seen me catch hundreds of snapping turtles,

but this is a little bit different.

My personal record is six snapping turtles

in a single day.

Today, I'm gonna try to catch 10 between four locations.

What's awesome about this is that snapping turtle

is a female, and is officially our first turtle of the day.

All right, let's get the adventure started.

Nine more to go.

Oh, look at this environment.

This is awesome.

This is just completely a green algae mess of ooze.

Perfect snapping turtle habitat.

But it does make them a little difficult to see.

I'm gonna move out and around this tree.

Be really tough to catch anything right here.

Is that a turtle?

Oh, it is a turtle.

How are you gonna get it?

Tucked back in those logs.

Gonna have to dive all the way back in there.

Are you good?

Oh, he's moving.

Oh, oh no.

Oh. - Lost it.

I lost it.

You see where it is?

This way.

Oh, oh, oh, there, under me.

Right there. Right there.

Right there.

Go around.

Did you feel him?

No, I didn't.

I'm pretty sure that was him.

That was so close.

So close to catching a miss.

I had the back of its shell, and then it

propelled itself forward and pulled right out of my hand.

Well, I'd say that's it for this location.

OK, we're on to our second location.

There are some huge turtles in here,

but they're very tough to catch.

I actually see when that's up against the side of the pond.

Might be able to get this one by hand.

There.

Is that him?

Yeah

How deep is it?

Really deep.

All right, we're going to the kayak.

I can't catch that turtle.

Yes!

Got one.

Yeah, there we go.

That's a good turtle right there.

OK.

In the boat with you, buddy.

This is definitely the most difficult part right here,

getting a turtle in your boat and then getting it

back into a controlled setting.

Not the biggest turtle in here, but we got one.

Check that out.

Definitely bigger than the first turtle we caught today.

But this turtle is actually named

Winston, only the second time I have ever caught this dragon.

Now, look at the nose.

The beak is a little worn down, but this is still a very, very

healthy common snapping turtle.

All right, we have seen three turtles.

We have caught two.

I think it's time that we move on to the next location

and see if we can up our numbers.

All right, let's get this guy back into the water.

OK, location number three, one of my favorite spots

in Gihanna, Ohio.

And I already see a snapping turtle

out there moving in the mud.

We're going straight into this.

There he is.

He's gonna start moving.

Oh, just like that.

Wow.

There we go.

Turtle number three.

And this is one of the most famous turtles

here in central Ohio.

His name is Homer.

I have named all the turtles in this location

after mythological Greek gods.

And this is one of the most dominant reptiles in this spot.

Now, not as big an as heavy as some of the other turtles

that we see in other locations, but definitely just as angry.

Well, how about that?

Walking right up, and that is turtle number three of the day.

Very, very sharp claws on this turtle.

OK, let's see who else we can find.

Looking good, buddy.

There you go.

All right.

That's a great start for this location.

OK, we're heading back into here, see if we

can find some more turtles.

This is really good for our numbers, right?

That is great.

That is a perfect start.

I mean, for our time.

Yes.

That's gonna help-- here's another trouble right here.

Right here.

That is Hercules.

Homer and Hercules, back to back.

Look at that.

This turtle is the biggest turtle

that lives in this location.

How about that?

Back to back turtles right next to each other.

Oh that is great.

Unbelievable.

What a beautiful common snapping turtle.

And I am very happy to see that he is healthy and doing well.

Hi, buddy, how are you?

Does it go, hey, Coyote.

How are ya?

All right, that is four turtles now.

Gonna place him right back here.

Watch your toes.

And we'll see who else we can find.

All right, off you go.

How about that?

Our numbers, just like that, are back in our favor.

I'd say that's pretty good for this location.

We caught two of the three turtles

that live in this very small urban swamp.

That brings our total count up to four.

We're almost halfway there, and we still

got the best location to come.

That was huge.

That may be the fastest I've ever

caught two very sizable snapping turtles back to back.

All right, guys, last location.

Do you believe in miracles?

Can I catch six turtles in the next two hours

at this location?

Only time will tell.

We got one time around the pond.

Here we go.

Now, the sunlight is definitely helping us right now.

I can see right down to the bottom.

So if there's a turtle hunting or moving,

I should be able to see it.

There's one.

Right there.

Right in front of you.

Oh, he's a bit one.

Oh, he's a big one.

Oh, the water's deep.

Completely getting swallowed in water.

That is cold.

But that is a huge turtle, one of the biggest hurdles

that lives in this location.

The turtle known as Big Daddy.

And that is, wow, officially our fifth turtle of the day.

I'm just gonna him go.

We gotta keep moving.

Here we go.

Moving on.

See you later, big guy.

Wow, what a catch.

Yes!

Man, my waders are completely full of water.

I might need to drain them.

Yeah!

Snapper, right there.

Turtle, turtle, turtle.

It's Hubert.

Nope, nah.

Look at this guy.

Yes!

Look at that.

Turtle number six.

Wow, I don't know what this turtle is.

I've actually never caught it before in this body of water.

But that is turtle number six.

I've officially tied my personal best.

Six turtles in a single day.

We've only got four more to go.

How awesome is that?

That is one stinky snapping turtle right there.

All right, put him right back in.

And let's see if we can get number seven.

Ah, we're heating up now.

Yes!

What's exciting about this is that if I catch

a seventh turtle, that will be my new personal record for most

turtles caught in a day.

Got a snapping turtle right here hunkered down, just hiding.

Come here, buddy.

There we go.

Look at that!

Turtle number seven.

Wow.

There we have it.

That's seven.

That's my new personal record in a single day.

Nice.

Not a huge turtle, but that is number seven.

Wow, this is a really good-looking little turtle.

Some of the claws are kind of nubbed off in the front,

probably from fighting with another snapping turtle

at some point.

OK, this guy's going right back down into the mud.

See you, buddy. Oh, don't bite me.

Fiesty.

OK, turtle number eight.

Let's find it.

It's tough, because I wanna go as fast as possible

because we're running out of time,

but you really have to glide slowly when you're looking

for snapping turtles because if you drift too far past one,

you'll have no chance of catching it.

Big turtle right there. It's Oscar.

It's Oscar.

Here we go.

Yes!

Big, big, big turtle right there.

There we have it.

That is an absolute gigantor.

It's Oscar.

Oh, my goodness, it's Oscar.

This is the largest snapping turtle in this body of water.

And he means business.

Look at the size of him.

Holy mackerel, that is turtle number 8 right there.

Hold on, I'm losing him.

Oh, he's so slippery.

Oh, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow.

Look at the size of that dragon.

Oh, my gosh.

He is so incredibly heavy.

Is that the biggest one so far?

This is the biggest one without question.

This is the largest snapping turtle

out in this body of water, and he

is as prehistoric as it gets.

All right, guys, there it is, turtle no eight.

Nine and 10 is all that's left.

All right, guys, we are almost out of light.

The water is perfectly calm, though, right now.

Can we catch turtles nine and 10?

Let's see what happens.

What's crazy about this location is there's probably 30 turtles,

maybe more that live in here.

Sun's behind a cloud.

It's definitely hurting me right now.

Between that and the fact that I cannot--

even the shallow water is extremely murky.

Man, if our conditions were just a little bit better, I think we

would've-- would've gotten it.

All right, we'll back up through here.

I think that'll do it.

Valiant effort.

This close.

We topped out at eight turtles today.

Oh, I look back at that one turtle that I missed.

We could have made it to nine.

But, in the end, I did beat my personal record, which was

six turtles in a single day.

And I can't be too disappointed.

Not only did we catch Big Daddy, we also

caught Oscar, the largest turtle that

lives here at Thoreau Lake.

And that's the story of snapping turtles

right there, the legend.

You're always going after the next big turtle,

in this instance, it was, can I catch

10 turtles in a single day?

I was close, so close.

I feel like if the conditions have been just a little bit

better, if the water had been a little clearer, if there may

have been a little less wind and a little more sun,

we may have pulled it off.

But, hey, eight turtles in a single day isn't bad.

I'm Coyote Peterson.

Be brave, stay wild.

We'll see you on the next adventure.

All right, that's the day.

Just dive and go for it.

The last thing you want is to get

your hand into the mouth of 100-pound, gargantuan,

prehistoric reptile.

1, 2.

The dark, swampy waters

of southeast Texas conceal many mysterious predators.

But nothing is more impressive than the reptile

you're about to witness.

Hailing as the largest freshwater turtle in North

America, this species is shrouded in folklore,

and the stories they spark are famous for igniting a status

that is considered legendary.

The alligator snapping turtle reigns as the Dragon of Texas.

I've teamed up with Carl and Viviana of Texas Turtles.

This conservation group is on the front lines of protecting

our shelled friends.

No matter the species, they love turtles.

For several days, we have been working under special permits

to catch and record this location's resident gator

snapper population.

Using a safe method known as hoop netting,

we have had some incredible success

landing a variety of algae-covered swamp monsters.

By now, we know the famous phrase,

everything is bigger in Texas, and the turtles

are no exception.

Which means that some nets simply aren't big enough,

and that is where I come into play.

Get ready.

This episode is about to get wild.

OK, I'm checking a net that is close to the edge right here.

I think we've got a turtle.

It's moving.

This net is moving right here.

All right, I'm gonna pull it up and take a look.

Oh, no.

It was outside of the net.

Big turtle right outside of the net.

No!

There it goes.

And now, he's back off and into the swamp.

The water's too deep and too murky.

I can't see anything.

I'm so tempted to just--

just dive and go for it.

Dangerous thing about doing something

like that is without being able to see which end of the turtle

is the front end of the turtle, the last thing you want

is to get your hand into the mouth

of 100-pound, gargantuan, prehistoric reptile.

1, 2, 3.

Oh, yeah.

That is how you jump into catch for

a gargantuan snapping turtle.

If at first you don't catch it with the trap,

you wait just a few seconds longer,

and the turtle will return to the bait

all the way underwater.

And that is the only way that I have learned

to catch snapping turtles.

No nets, no traps, no problem.

Oh, buddy.

That is a good turtle right there.

My goodness.

OK, I'm coming up.

Watch your feet.

That is one powerful reptile right there.

And a turtle with jaws of that size

can definitely take off your hand.

A second I went underwater, my hand slid

down the side of his carapace.

I was like, oh, please, get to the backside of this turtle

and don't let your hand end up in those jaws.

Yes!

Yes!

We have ourselves a really good-looking

alligator snapping turtle.

How about that?

A little bit of patience is all it took,

and I knew, I knew you were gonna come back for that bait,

but you didn't think I'd be waiting, did you?

OK, if you can go run and get Carl and Viviana,

I'll stay here with the turtle.

We'll get these biometrics.

Yes.

Yes.

And there you have it, that is a true prehistoric giant,

the alligator snapping turtle, the reptile that we have been

searching for and safely trapping with the hoop nets

for the past couple of days.

Now, we've caught a couple of smaller turtles,

but nothing so far of this size.

And truth be told, like I said, during the process of that

all unfolding, this turtle wasn't actually

quite in the net yet, so jumping into the water to catch it

ended up being the right tactic.

But the thing about this turtle that makes it so unique

is just its prehistoric design.

Look at this creature.

Covered in algae, gnarled carapace, and a mouth

that certainly means business.

Now, one of the big differences between the alligator snapping

turtle and the common snapping turtle

is the reach of that head.

While the skull may be massive and the spread

of those jaws incredible, and the power, definitely

strong enough to take off a finger or crush a hand,

it doesn't quite have the reach of the common snapping turtle.

So me being this close to this turtle,

I don't feel as if I'm in danger in any way, shape, or form.

One of the most fascinating aspects

about the alligator snapping turtle

is actually the way that it hunts.

This is considered an ambush predator,

as compared to the common snapping turtle, which I

would say is much more nomadic.

All this reptile needs to do is lay on a body of water

and wait for its prey to come to it.

If you zoom in on the underside of that jaw there,

you can see that little fleshy appendage moving around.

It looks just like a worm.

This is called lingual luring.

The turtle will lay in wait, wiggle that worm,

and a fish will get close thinking, oh, look at this.

I found an easy meal.

But it's exactly the opposite.

The fish gets close, the snapping turtle clamps down

its jaws, and the fish went from potential predator

to prey item.

At this size, the only threat that a turtle of this magnitude

faces is human interaction.

The alligator snapping turtle is considered a protected species,

which means it is illegal to go out and catch, harass,

or interact with these reptiles unless you

have the proper permits.

However, that doesn't stop people

from poaching these reptiles.

They're oftentimes traded on the black market in the pet trade,

but also, the food trade.

Believe it or not, this turtle is the origin of turtle soup.

So we have to work collectively, all of us,

to make sure that the protections stay in place

to keep these prehistoric-looking reptiles

safe here on our planet.

I absolutely love the carapace of these turtles.

Now, as compared to the common snapping turtle,

the alligator snapping turtle has

these very distinct ridges that run the length of its body.

Now, not only do they look cool, and they gave them

their namesake, the alligator snapping turtle,

because when they come to the surface,

it almost looks like the back of an alligator,

but they have functionality.

During storm surge and hurricane season, if the water levels

change quickly, this turtle's capable of wedging

itself down in between logs.

It will essentially lock itself in place

to make sure that it does not move from the territory

that it is currently protecting.

And when you look at it, it's got all this algae,

and even little worms and leeches crawling around on it.

There's an ecosystem existing on the back of this reptile.

One thing that I do love about these turtles is their eyes.

Look at that, black and gold, focused,

all those little fleshy little particles

of skin growing off of them.

And that helps to keep these animals camouflaged underwater.

You can see the algae that's growing on that turtle's face.

It really looks like a rock when it's

laying on the basin of a body of water

waiting for its prey to get close.

Looking inside that mouth, that's probably

about as close as I wanna get.

And you'll notice there's a hole that keeps opening

up inside its mouth there.

That's actually the way that this turtle breathes.

That little hole connects to the roof of its skull, which then

connects to its nostrils, and that's

how they're able to come up above the water,

take a quick breath without opening their mouths.

That also helps them when they're

in the process of eating, make sure that no water goes down

and into their lungs.

OK, I'd say that this turtle is about ready

to get back into the water, so it's

time to do the important work.

I'm going to bring in Carl and Viviana from Texas Turtles,

and we're going to collect the necessary data

that they need to make sure that this turtle is

properly documented.

All right, guys, you ready to pull the biometrics?

Let's do it.

Catching is fun,

but the most important aspect to Carl and Viviana's research

is the biometrics.

Head width is taken first, followed by carapace

and plaster on lengths.

Next, a PIT tag, which stands for Passive Integrated

Transponder, is quickly inserted.

No, this is not a tracking chip, but instead, is an ID tag that

can quickly be scanned to ID this turtle if it

is caught again in the future.

Think of it kind of like a turtle's

social security number.

Last, but certainly not least, is my favorite part,

the turtle's weight.

This big boy isn't going to set any world records,

but it does boast being the biggest turtle we caught

on this round of research.

70.3 pounds.

Yes!

That is a good-sized turtle, that's for sure.

I'll give you a look at the scale there.

With the biometrics complete,

this turtle is now ready for release.

Well, it's officially time to release

this prehistoric behemoth back into the wild.

But before I do, I just want to give a big thanks

to Texas Turtles for allowing us to assist

in the important research that they've

been doing to help preserve the alligator snapping turtle.

I'm Coyote Petersen.

Be brave, stay wild.

We'll see you on the next adventure.