{"id":12313,"date":"2022-11-18T03:22:35","date_gmt":"2022-11-18T08:22:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.forestwildlife.org\/?p=12313"},"modified":"2022-11-19T09:00:57","modified_gmt":"2022-11-19T14:00:57","slug":"what-happens-if-a-snapping-turtle-bites-you","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.forestwildlife.org\/what-happens-if-a-snapping-turtle-bites-you\/","title":{"rendered":"What Happens If A Snapping Turtle Bites You?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Snapping turtles are known for their painful bite; but did you know this bite can inflict serious injuries as well? What happens if a snapping turtle bites you? How should you treat the bite if you get one? Keep reading! In this article, we\u2019ll answer all of these questions and more!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What Happens if a Snapping Turtle Bites You?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Snapping turtles are not known for being aggressive\u2013they are generally very docile creatures. But, if they feel threatened, they may bite you in an effort to defend themselves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They may also bite if they are hungry and mistake your hand for food<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Snapping turtle bites can be incredibly painful. Sometimes they break the skin, while other times they only leave painful bruises.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

If a snapping turtle bite breaks the skin, it can cause excessive bleeding\u2013especially if it penetrates a blood vessel. You may notice blood spurting from the wound or flowing in a steady stream.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Alternatively, the wounds left by a snapping turtle\u2019s beak may penetrate so deeply that they don\u2019t bleed much. These deep puncture wounds are at high risk of infection and may lead to complications if they are not promptly treated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Any bite that breaks the skin may become infected,<\/strong> even if it doesn\u2019t appear deep or produce a lot of blood. Snapping turtles carry salmonella and other bacteria in their mouths, and this bacteria can pass into an open wound when the turtle bites.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Can a Snapping Turtle Bite Your Fingers Off?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

For being such docile animals, snapping turtles have an impressive bite force of up to 226 newtons. Alligator snapping turtles<\/a> have a slightly lower bite force, but their jaws are larger and their beaks are sharper than those of common snappers, so they can still do a lot of damage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But can these turtles produce enough force to bite off your fingers?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fingers and toes are the most common body parts that snappers bite. It is possible for them to bite off these appendages, and there have been some documented cases of this happening.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

There was even a report once of a snapping turtle biting off a person\u2019s nose.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Though such incidents can happen, they rarely do. Even when snapping turtles do bite, they rarely bite hard enough to actually amputate any body parts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you stay away from snapping turtles\u2019 heads, they will not be able to bite you even if they try. And, if you leave them alone and give them plenty of space, they will leave you alone as well.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Again, snapping turtles are not naturally aggressive. They only attack if they feel threatened or if they mistake you for food. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Can a Snapping Turtle Break Your Bones?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

If a snapping turtle bites hard enough to amputate a finger, then chances are it will probably break at least one of the finger bones in the process. The same is true of toes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Snapping turtles frequently break the bones of the small animals they eat. But these bones are generally much lighter and less dense than most human bones.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So yes, a snapping turtle can technically break small bones in your fingers or toes, but they likely won\u2019t be able to break any of the larger bones in your body.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

If a snapping turtle were to bite a small child or an elderly person with frail bones, it might be able to break hand or forearm bones. Again though, most bones even in these weaker humans will be too strong for a snapping turtle to break. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Regardless of whether or not these turtles could break your bones, you should never underestimate them.<\/strong> Check out this video to get an idea of just how powerful a snapping turtle\u2019s bite can be:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=PYCC_8DDqMM<\/a>