‘Crush’ the Snapping Turtle Teaches Lessons at the Great Lakes Aquarium

The 50 pound common snapping turtle is at least 50 years old and he gets a healthy diet of mice, quail, and fish.

DULUTH, Minn. – Twice a week, Crush, the Great Lakes Aquarium’s resident snapping turtle, gets fed to help teach humans about the turtle.

The 50-pound common snapping turtle is at least 50 years old and he gets a healthy diet of mice, quail, and fish.

Snapping turtles spend most of their time in the water except for during mating season, when they are on land, which is where they get what some might call and aggressive reputation.

“Because they are aquatic turtles they get their reputation on land because the best defense is a good offense. So they don’t have a way to protect themselves with their shell so they come across as more aggressive when really they are trying to protect themselves from potential predators,” says Alexis Berke, the visitor engagement manager at the Great Lakes Aquarium.

If anyone would like to see Crush eat up close, he gets fed every Tuesday and Friday at 4:30 p.m. at the Great Lakes Aquarium.