From Turtles Kingston:

Has anyone ever told you a snapping turtle is aggressive and can bite off your finger?

Well it’s important to know that these are FALSE MYTHS!

Is a snapping turtles snap dangerous? yes

Can they bite off your finger? no

Will they attack if they feel threatened? yes

Are they aggressive? no

So let’s get some things straight about the Ontario common snapping turtle (we are not talking about the alligator snapping turtle)

has a bite capacity less than an adult human. Thus, a bite will hurt but it cannot take off your finger in one bite.

they bite and release so if you are bitten it won’t last long but their snap is very easy to avoid by keeping your hands to the back of their shell (above their back legs)

they snap because they feel threatened and cannot pull themselves inside their shells like other turtle species.

We know that even with these myths busted it can still be intimidating to help a snapping turtle. So what to we recommend?

If you ever need to move a snapping turtle and you aren’t confident use the drag method.

Get an item such as a shovel, car mat, or towel / blanket (don’t drag them without soemthing underneath)

Grab the turtle from the back shell above the tail (never grab them by the tail)

Gently pull the turtle onto your item and drag them across the road in the direction they were headed.

https://www.turtleskingston.com/moving-turtles