The summer of 1944.

A New Species of Turtles?

My good buddy Bob Fuller, and I were always out in the fields, with Teddy by my side. Down behind my house, the woods started right across the street, and about a mile inside, there was she New Rochelle reservoir, where we swam, and made rafts, and in winter, my dad would take us skating. We were frequently there. A friend of my mother lived at a spot that could see the whole water area. She would look for us, and call mom to tell her that she would keep an eye on us. So mom didn't worry.

This summer, they drained the lake, to clean up all the junk that had accumulated in the bottom mud. Bob and I had waist high wading boots on and we went exploring on the muddy bottom. Teddy went with us out on the mud flats, soon he was sniffing around, and he found some strange tracks that went no where's, they just stopped, but Teddy didn't, he started digging, but soon stopped, because something slapped his nose. By now, both of us were interested in Teddy's find. What could it be? It's got to be a turtle, but look at how wide the track is! It's got to be a monster! If that's what it is, its bite could sure pack a wallop. We decided the better part of valor, and went to my house to get a pole, some burlap sacks, and some rope. Now, we were ready to go hunting. Back to the tracks, we went. They were still there, what ever it was, it hadn't moved. Bob took the long pole and said, let's see which end bites! He started poking the center of the mound, and boy, did we get a response! About 18 inches from the pole, the mud erupted, a head popped up and the turtle's jaw snapped open and shut, but what a head! It was bigger than my outstretched hand! Come on, Bob, let's drag him out of there, and see just how big he is. With Teddy jumping about, and barking his encouragement, we went to work, and work it was, but soon we had the mud off, and the turtle was trying to swim away in the mud, but we got the pole under him, and flipped him over on his back. We tied the rope to a hind leg, above the knee joint, and towed him on his shell to the woods. Once there, we could see our prize catch, a turtle that as wide across the shell as my arm was long, from the shoulder to the wrist! What was it? Only alligator turtles get that big! And they didn't live that far north as New York State. We had a mystery on our hands!

Come on, Bob, let's bag him and carry it to my house! And, so we did, carefully sliding the bag over the turtle's head, and working together, by rocking the shell, finally got him in, and the bag tied shut. We rigged a harness, and suspended the turtle from the pole, and started home. When we got there, it was mid afternoon, so we had time to build an enclosure of stakes, pounded into the back lawn, and wrapped chicken wire around them, and then staked the wire to the ground. We hosed the turtle off, and put in a low cake pan my mom donated so he could have water. Even my dad was stumped, when he came home that evening.

The next day, we caught three more, but, none as big as the General, as we named him. We put them in the turtle pen, but some how one of the smaller, 25" wide across the shell, managed to escape, only to be hit by a car, as it tried to cross the road. It was killed, and the car had a blowout, but no other harm to it. Since that day was Saturday, dad came home at noon. When he drove in to the back yard, the neighbor's year old boy was at the wire, with his wiggling fingers inside, calling one of the turtles to him. To the turtle, those pink, wiggly fingers must have looked like worms to eat. Luckily, dad beat the turtle to the boy. But right then and there, dad said, these turtles have got to go. Watch this. And he picked up a broom and poked the head of one of them, and, Snap! It bit off the end of the broomstick. I've got an idea! He went into the house and called a friend of his, who was the Assistant Curator of the reptile house at the Bronx Zoo, in New York City. Come on kid's let's load them in the bags, and in the trunk of dad's car. And we drove three miles to his house. He was waiting outside, when we drove up some 10 minuets later. So let's take a look at the General Frank, and maybe I can help Skip and Bob out. We got the general out, and turned him loose on the grass.

There was absolute amazement on the Curator's face, as he even got down on his knees to take a close look at the General's shell. I'll tell you what I think we have here. This looks like a common Diamond back Snapping turtle, but his size is unbelievable, so it might be a new and unknown sub species. The only way I can tell is to take them to the Zoo lab and do some checking, is that all right with you Skip? Sure, I replied, I just want to find them a safe place, dad say's they are too dangerous to keep at the house. Some one might get bit. So, Bob and I said, good by to our "pets", and they were taken to the Zoo. Later, we heard that they were not a new species, but the were the largest Diamond back's ever seen. They were put on display at the Zoo for all to see, and became rather famous. Years later, I received a call from the Zoo, asking my permission to trade the General to the Santiago Chile Zoo in exchange for 4 different animals to be put on display at the Bronx Zoo. Naturally, I said yes, so if you ever visit the Santiago Zoo, say hello to the General, even fifty-five years later, I bet He's still going slow but good.