Do Snapping Turtles Eat Loon Chicks?
A loon parent feeding newly hatched chicks. Photo by E. George
It’s loon chick season, also known as the best time of the year for many loon-lovers in the Adirondacks.
While observing loon chicks in the early weeks of life, it is natural to feel protective of them. That might lead to questions about predators and what, if anything, observers should do about them.
There are many natural predators of loon chicks, like eagles and other birds of prey, as well as large fish that can swallow a loon chick whole.
One species that is often identified as a predator to loon chicks likely isn’t as big a threat as it’s made out to be: snapping turtles.
In the past year, Adirondack Center for Loon Conservation (ACLC) staff have received questions about how to remove snapping turtles to protect loon chicks. Our short answer is: Please don’t! We never advocate for killing or removing native species to protect loons.
Also, you could be breaking the law, as snapping turtles cannot be relocated or killed without a permit for most of the year.
But even we still wanted to know: Are snapping turtles actually a major threat to loon chicks?
A snapping turtle that has climbed up onto a roadway looking for a place to lay eggs near Lower St. Regis Lake. Photo by Denise Silfee
So, we called up some experts. Dr. Glenn Johnson is a professor in the Department of Biology at SUNY Potsdam where he teaches conservation biology and specializes in reptiles and amphibians.
“First of all, you can’t get rid of snapping turtles,” Dr. Johnson said. “They’re not particularly abundant, but they will come back.”
Dr. Johnson pointed out that snapping turtles are omnivorous, meaning they eat a wide range of both plants and other animals, including carrion. They are also opportunistic, meaning if the chance for an easy meal presents itself, they will take it.
So, do snapping turtles prey on loon chicks? “It does happen,” Dr. Johnson said, however, “I am not aware of any recorded case in the literature of a snapping turtle taking a loon chick. That doesn’t mean it’s not possible,” but it suggests it is not common.
Dr. Glenn Johnson of SUNY Potsdam knees next to nest site created to attract Blanding’s turtles, while the electrified fence will help keep out animals that prey on turtle eggs. Photo provided by Dr. Glenn Johnson
“There are a few publications that mention snapping turtles taking ducklings,” Dr. Johnson continued, “but researchers find it’s a small part of their diet and ducklings are different – they spend time in shallow water.”
Snapping turtles forage around lake edges and along the bottom of lakes. They don’t forage at the surface of the lake or in the middle of the lake in deep or open water. They are ambush predators, meaning they position themselves in one spot and wait for potential prey, which also means the potential prey must be within reach.
Loons don’t spend much time in very shallow water close to lake edges. Once loon chicks hatch, their parents move them away from the nest in the first day or two, and while they may spend time in shallower water by an adult loon’s standards in the first couple weeks, they still often remain relatively away from shore. Loon chicks also ride on their parents’ backs in the first two weeks of life to help them stay warm and to protect them from underwater predators.
“I would say that [a snapping turtle taking a loon chick] is a relatively rare event,” Dr. Johnson said. “My guess is that for every snapping turtle in a lake, in its lifetime, if they get one loon chick, they’re lucky. That’s just based on where the two species spend their time.”
Considering that snapping turtles can live 70 to 100 years, that is not a lot of loon chicks in a single turtle’s lifetime.
Wildlife rehabilitator and founder of Dancing Turtle Rescue Debbie Philp with Gordon, an ambassador snapping turtle introduced during educational events. Photo provided by Debbie Philp
Debbie Philp, the founder and president of Dancing Turtle Rescue and a wildlife rehabilitator specializing in turtles based in Schroon Lake, NY, agreed. “Snapping turtles have been in North America for 66 million years, so loons have definitely evolved with their presence and developed adaptions to help” prevent predation.
Philp actively seeks to dispel myths about snapping turtles in her organization’s educational programs.
Both Dr. Johnson and Philp emphasize the important role of all species in their ecosystems.
“Anything native to a system has a role to play in energy flow,” Dr. Johnson said. “They are part of food webs, and like any ecological construct, when you start removing things it’s like taking bricks out of a wall. It eventually falls down.”
Philp points out that snapping turtles, whose numbers are declining, lay far more eggs than will hatch or survive. In fact, up to 90 percent of snapping turtle eggs and hatchlings will become an important food source for other species, like raccoons, some birds, skunks and fish. Snapping turtles also “contribute to keeping the lakes and ponds clean and not overgrown” by eating carrion and plant material, Philp said. “Snappers get more herbaceous [plant-eating] as they age. From what we see with injured snappers that come in, most of their solid waste is plant matter.”
Philp continued: “Removing a snapping turtle from good habitat will just make room for another to move in. It will also reduce available biomass until a young female matures and mates, so removing a turtle has an undesirable impact on that ecosystem as a whole.”
To wrap up the discussion, Dr. Johnson warned, “Think twice about killing turtles to save loons. You’re not really saving much, if anything at all. If you take all the snapping turtles away, it will not affect fledgling success.”
A snapping turtle caught on a nest camera using a loon nest site to sun itself in 2019. Photo provided by ACLC
While it may be hard to notice that a loon chick that was there one day is gone the next, we must remember that we are guests observing a natural order. The best thing we can do to ensure the survival of that order, of that healthy ecosystem, is to support healthy habitats and be aware of species’ natural rhythms. Some ways to do that include:
In early summer, snapping turtles can be seen nesting along roadsides and bike paths in the Adirondacks. This is the most dangerous times for turtles, as they cannot quickly move to avoid cars or other traffic. Photo by Denise Silfee
Allow undeveloped shorelines to thrive with native plants and natural debris like fallen trees that serve as fish nurseries or protection for nesting birds
Take care to prevent the spread of aquatic invasive species
Limit the use of pesticides or herbicides that can leach into Adirondack waterways
Be aware of motorized boat wakes that can swamp loon nests during nesting season
Slow down on roadways where nesting turtles might be looking for a place to lay their eggs in early summer and, if it is safe to do so, help turtles cross the road in the direction they are heading - even snapping turtles!
You can learn more about the roles of turtles and loons in healthy lake ecosystems at a special co-presentation by ACLC staff and Debbie Philp of Dancing Turtle Rescue on July 11, 2025 at 7 pm at Schroon Lake High School. The event is being co-sponsored by Schroon Lake Association (SLA) and East Shore Schroon Lake Association (ESSLA) and is free to the public.
At ACLC, we love loons. But loons can only thrive within a healthy ecosystem, and that means all of that ecosystem’s native species need to thrive as well.
Words by Denise Silfee, ACLC Director of Education and Communications