REMEMBERING 2026: GARY MICHAEL FERRELL - LITTLE KANAWHA SNAPPING TURTLES A LITTLE MAD

(01/10/2026)

Gary Michael Ferrell has passed Jan. 2026 Gary Michael Ferrell used caution handling these snapping turtles ... ... both of which developed an attitude while photographing them 2006 - These snapping turtles were a little mad yesterday, at each other, their captor and the photographer. Gary Michael Ferrell of Big Bend caught the turtles on a trot line in the Little Kanawha River. Two of the turtles weighed about 30 pounds each. Turtle has been table fare in rural Calhoun over the years, particularly for soup. "We plan to cook these brutes," said Ferrell, who was being aggressively "attacked" while he was talking. They can give a very painful bite. The turtles can weigh up to 45 pounds and can live 30-40 years. Their colors are usually dull brown to black. They have webbed feet with long claws and a very long tail. Snapping turtles can release a foul odor from a gland on the underside of their body, evident yesterday when the two largest turtles began to fight, drawing blood on each other. Ferrell placed them in a barrel with holes, then in a local creek.

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