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The double track leads right past an overturned turtle shell, where the raccoon turned off to investigate. Below you can see the carapace, or upper part, which is about twelve inches long. You can see how the turtle's backbone is fused to its shell. A nearby pile turned out to be the plastron, or underside. The animal's carcass had been pulled apart so that something could get at the meat inside. But I think it died accidentally: Its skull and two feet were lodged inside a tire nearby. Perhaps the tire fell over and the turtle drowned. The skull showed that it was a snapping turtle. |
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The deer's fate was somewhat more poetic. The tracks disappeared into these reeds, which are over seven feet tall. |
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