Authorities have reassured the people not to be concerned despite the monster being seen and recorded in the Mississippi River.
What would you have done if you had been standing just a few feet away from this enormous beast in the water?
Continue reading to learn how one woman responded and why she didn’t anticipate her tale becoming so well-known.
Shala Holm was born in Buffalo, Minnesota. Shala came upon a large snapping turtle months ago, but it wasn’t until later that her photo gained widespread attention.
The turtle’s head, which resembles Godzilla, is leading the way as its huge claws stretch into a net of fish. From the image alone, it is obvious that this turtle is bigger than others.
Shala spent time with her family this past summer at Niemeyer’s Rugged River Resort close to Brainerd. When Holm and her daughter initially came across the animal, they were both in a tandem kayak.
“All of a sudden, my daughter told me to stay quiet.” “I can hear breathing,” Holm recalled.
Holm was astonished to see the turtle’s nose heading towards a fish basket that hung from their kayak as she turned to search for something more common at the shore.
She responded, “He kind of clawed onto it.” “We were so startled by how big he was.”
Holm shook the basket to frighten the turtle away, and it swam away.
The mother and daughter returned to the location the following day in their kayak to see if they could locate it again to take a picture. Catching fish while waiting for the turtle to return was their pass time.
According to Holm, the joy of being in a kayak is that you’re really close to the water. Therefore, we were pretty close.
Though they were unsure of the actual size of the reptile in the water, the mother and daughter were reasonably cheerful that it was a snapping turtle and that its legs were around the size of Holm’s wrists.
Adult snapping turtles typically measure between 8 and 14 inches long and weigh between 10 and 35 pounds, according to the state Department of Natural Resources. The most giant turtle ever discovered in Minnesota weighed an impressive 65 pounds!
Shala emailed the image to the DNR so they could gather further details. They estimated the turtle was at least 15 years old and possibly as old as 30.
After the resort’s proprietors decided to share Shala’s photo on their Facebook page, it quickly became popular. The resort’s owners, Corby and Sheila Niemeyer have observed as the post received thousands of shares and nearly a thousand comments. Even media organizations interested in the subject have been in touch with Sheila.
“Is this real?” is what most of them ask. She spoke. It is.
According to the resort’s owner, the property is situated on a calm, sluggish portion of the Mississippi, north of Brainerd. There, they frequently encounter a variety of native fauna.
“Every June, we get many turtles coming up on the shore, and they’re laying their eggs,” she said. Watching the turtles is one of our favorite pastimes. So, to see one that big was very bizarre.
Many Facebook users have advised staying away from the water, but Sheila has clarified that it’s not as risky as it seems.
She asserted that if one looked carefully at any lake or river, one would discover a wide variety of things they had never considered. “They don’t bother you. They prefer not to be around you.
She hopes the post’s popularity will encourage additional visitors to their resort.
“I’m hoping it won’t be something wrong, considering their beliefs. Oh my goodness, I won’t go there. She said, “I don’t want to swim with that. “Generally speaking, I don’t think you need to be concerned about it. However, viewing the wildlife is simply magnificent.
The Minnesota DNR’s Erica Hoaglund, a regional nongame wildlife specialist, claims that snapping turtles are frequently misunderstood because they appear “scary” and defend themselves when they sense danger. She claims they are not hazardous.
They are most at ease in the water and frequently try to appear more terrifying on land, where they feel more exposed. They may protect themselves out of fear but never engage in combat.
They merely want to escape being seen, and if given the slightest opportunity, they will hide and run away, according to Hoaglund.
Holm, the first person to see the giant turtle, has shown no signs of anxiety. She even said she intended to revisit the resort to reunite with her old pal.
Next year, she stated, “I’m going to go back to that location and see if he or she is still around.”
