Last Wednesday marked the kick-off of our "No Soup for You!" Snapping Turtle Count...a month long event we are hosting at Blendon Woods Metro Park in Columbus, Ohio. 
The weather was fantastic and we had a great turn out of spectators all hoping to see some monster turtles...unfortunately our first run at the mud proved to be fruitless...or in this case...turtleless. 
That doesn't mean that the filming was a bust. Sometimes you get great stuff when you aren't capturing animals but instead just looking for them. We filmed a few great segments including a really difficult sink mud sequence.
Throughout each episode Coyote will often times put himself in sticky situations and show you how to properly get out of them...
In this particular segment Coyote found himself wedged chest deep in sink mud...a real pickle to get out of and one of the most dangerous situations you can find yourself in when exploring a wetland environment.
It was tricky to get cameraman supertrooper Chammp Swaggerty positioned with the camera and audio gear...he is literally about 6 inches from the sink hole Coyote fell into...last thing you want is to get the gear in 5 feet of sink mud! 
In all it was a great first attempt...a little discouraging to trek as hard as we did through the harshest of conditions only to not find a single turtle...but that is the way it goes on our search for the ever elusive Common Snapping Turtle...some days you get the turtles...some days the environment gets...or in this case...eats you!
A Big THANKS to photographer MARSH-MUD-MAN MARK VINS for his great pics...For additional mudtastic pictures check out the facebook post here:
http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/pages/The-Reptile-Show/142295362604?ref=ts
Special thanks to everyone that turned out this past week, and we hope you join us again this Wednesday at 6:00. We will have with us a special guest...Stuart...a juvenile Snapping Turtle that is being raised by The Reptile Show as a study into the growth rates and developed behaviorisms of Common Snapping Turtles. 
We will also spend time before we get muddy talking about these animals and how they effect the wetland ecosystem. Before the adventure begins we will scout from the observation shelters and teach you what to look for in the environment that will give away these elusive reptiles locations if you choose to observe these amazing creatures in their natural environment. Join us Wednesday, 6:00 PM, Blendon Woods Metro Park!
I want to ask you what is the name of special sort of mud that is very dangerous for people who can sink into it? I saw it in movies several times. Also, can it be seen before someone stuck into it and can a man be saved in that situation?
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