Posted by Catherine Lastine on June 30, 2008

Q: I have had a slowly dwindling pile of hardwood mulch on my driveway for 1-2 months. As I got to the bottom tonight, I found 19 eggs. They look similar to ping pongs; very round and a little smaller than a ping pong. They have pliable shells and light brown speckles. I suspect that they are turtle eggs and I think that I may have damaged them becuase the rolled around as I shoveled up the mulch. So, do these sound like turgle eggs? If so, what type? If not, what else could they be? Is it possible to save them after they have rolled about?

Habitat wise, down the hill from my driveway is a stream and there are some woods nearby. I have seen snapping turtles around.

Habitat: suburban/yard

State: Missouri

Habitat: suburban/yard

A: I think you've done a good job of figuring this out! I agree that it sounds and looks like you've found Snapping Turtle eggs. The fact that the eggs have been rolled around shouldn't be a problem, to the best of my knowledge. If you can rebury them in similar fashion, you may be able to hatch them - not too deep but under enough mulch so they don't "fry" in the sun. Snapping Turtles lay their eggs about this time of year and the young will either hatch in late summer/fall and leave the nest, or hatch and remain there over the winter then leave in the spring. Missouri winters are not as cold as some other areas, so I'm going to guess your turtles will probably leave immediately - but this is just a guess. Good luck to you and thanks for asking.

John Wiessinger ( July 1, 2008)