Illustration by Dana Kingery
Roseville resident Mary Anderson shares an inter-species encounter she witnessed back in July
By Mary Anderson
It all started when I sensed movement outside my kitchen window. I looked to the side and saw a pretty sizable snapping turtle making its way up the middle of the sidewalk. As I looked on, a movement from the left caught my eye: a lone turkey was strutting over the berm bordering the grassy area and noticed the turtle. I wondered if this was not going to end well; do turkeys and turtles get along?
I couldn’t look away and watched as the turkey approached the turtle. The turkey seemed curious and animated— coming close, then darting back, seeming to sniff at this stout creature in front of it. The turtle, for its part, tucked in its neck in caution at first, but then it stuck it out to look more closely at the interloper.
This back-and-forth went on for a minute or two, until the turtle began to walk haltingly away. The turkey started to follow, then caught up to walk alongside the turtle, across the grass, up the berm, across a pedestrian sidewalk, then onto the boulevard, next to the street!
It’s a relatively quiet street, but turtles are notoriously slow, and it pays to be cautious when considering a crossing. Imagine my surprise when the pair set out to cross together, walking less than a foot apart to the other side! It was like watching a child with a crossing guard who was ensuring safe passage for both.
At the other side, the pair looked at each other very briefly, then turned and walked their separate ways, having shared a brief but satisfying encounter, late one summer afternoon in Roseville.
