Taking a peek

This turtle was more cautious than most. It was nearly 15 minutes before he peeked out this much. Those long claws are for digging -- they eat grubs and snails and such, and dig into the ground for their winter's hibernation. (They also eay deadly toadstool mushrooms. They are immune to the toxin, which they store in their fat. That makes them unpalatable to many predators and is the reason they're one of the few American turtles not eaten by people.)