Musk Turtle Motel | Wildlife Photographer of the Year

Isaac Szabo’s Image

Isaac Szabo (USA) finds three loggerhead musk turtles sheltering in the soft clay bank of a spring-fed Florida swamp.

While snorkelling, Isaac rounded a submerged tree and came face to face with one of the turtles.

He moved slowly so as not to stir up the sediment, and recorded this moment before the turtle disappeared into its refuge.

Loggerhead musk turtles are found in the southeastern United States, primarily Georgia, Alabama, Louisiana and Florida.

Pollution and increasing water extraction are damaging and reducing their habitat. However, their numbers are currently stable.