Turtle eggs? Or something else??

Question
QUESTION: Hi. We live in Laingsburg, MI. My aunt lives on a lake and when we were on the beach we found two holes in the sand, sort of like a tunnel. In one hole about two inches down we found 5 eggs. Two of them were round, one was the size of a ping-pong ball, the other the size of a small marble. The other three are oblong, about 1 1/2 inches long, about 3/4 inch in diameter. They are all a pale peach/pink color. One was out in the open on the beach and I stepped on it accidentally (bare feet-ughhh!) the yolk was really thick and more orage than yellow. Anyway, my aunt wanted them off the beach so instead of getting rid of them, we brought them home because my son wants to see them hatch. So, my question is, are these turtle eggs? If so, do you know what kind? Just want to make sure we are not hatching snakes.

Thanks for your time. Pictures available if needed!

Jenny

ANSWER: Probably turtle eggs- certainly not snake, frog, fish, etc.

Once moved, they almost never hatch- the embryo is only very lightly attached, so moving an egg (unless you do it right) usually causes the embryo to tear away.

They are PROBABLY either Painted Turtles or Snapping Turtles.

Now, they probably are not going to hatch, not only because they were moved, but also because they need the right combination of warmth and humidity. If they are going to hatch, they will do so between 30-60 days usually, but may go 20-300 days.



Semi-mandatory environmental pitch:

I should also mention that nests should be left alone in the wild. Unless you are ready to raise the baby turtles properly, it really is not fair to you or them to remove them.

Michigan prohibits commercial collecting of native turtles, and 'nest harvesting' would count as commercial collecting in most states. Michigan also has a few species of turtles that are strongly protected by state and federal laws- Wood Turtles, Spotted Turtles, Blandings Turtles, etc.

However, it is unlikely anything will come of this, either by hatching or legal action (when was the last time you heard of someone getting busted for turtles?)

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Oops. We didn't know that we weren't supposed to move the eggs, and now we feel bad. However, when the turtle laid her eggs, she put them smack in the middle of a pretty high-traffic beach, and they would have been accidentally crushed by all the kids. But if you have time to answer a few more questions, for my son? He is 10 years old, and extremely interested in all things environmental. In fact, he wants to be a wildlife scientist when he grows up. Of course, we have already learned not to mess with nests, but we thought we were protecting them, not damaging them. So, he wants to know: Why is there such a big difference in the shapes and sizes off the eggs? The tiny one that's the size of a marble, was that normal, and would it have lived? Also, how could a big lake turtle have dug such a tiny tunnel? And finally, should we even try to move them back to the beach, maybe in a corner where nobody runs on the sand, or is it too late for that?
Thank you for your time. My son is learning a lot from you.

Regards,
Jenny

Answer
Moving the eggs: not to worry- no one knows this. It is just one of those little things those of us who study turtles learns about.

Different size eggs are uncommon, and usually mean a younger mother doing what is basically a 'practice' hole. Turtles often lay 1-3 clutches of 'practice eggs' before they start doing it for real. Turtles like Painted Turtles can start to lay eggs at about 4-5" long, although in general, the bigger they are the better they do it.

Now- this is assuming they are TURTLE eggs, which feel kind of like Ping-Pong balls- kind of a rubbery/leathery shell. In fact, Snapper eggs are about the same size, shape, and color as Ping-Pong balls- and even bounce (although that does indeed kill the embryo as well!)

The access tunnel was probably done by an egg thief like racoons, weasels, otters, or skunks. Turtles dig out rather awkward pits then cover them back up with no access tunnels.

A clutch of only 5 eggs also suggests either a practice nest, or having several eggs stolen. Clutch sizes range by species, but most pond turltes, like Painteds, lay about 10-20 in most clutches. Finally- a high-traffic area in sand further suggests the inexperienced mother- they usually lay them where there is more decayign leaf litter in more private locations.

Moving them back? Quite honestly, you can probably just discard them- the odds are REALLY against them hatching- even before you moved them!

A good starting website to learn about turtles is http://www.austinsturtlepage.com if there is anything there that your son would be interested in.

Good luck!