New Jersey Kayaking

Turtles, Frogs & Snakes

Turtles love to Conga !

Turtles

Eastern Painted Turtle

You'll find these medium-sized turtles in any body of water. You will often find them sunning themselves on any convenient perch, watching you. Get too close, and they drop into the water. Rarely, you may encounter a released pet that is tame.

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Frogs

American Bullfrog

Frogs are seldom seen during the day, but easily discovered at night by their eye shine. In fact, it can be disturbing to see just how many of them there are around.

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Snakes

Common Watersnake

This is one of the most common snakes in NJ, inhabiting freshwater streams, ponds, lakes, swamps, marshes, and bogs throughout the state. This snake will likely retreat from you, but if you have to push your luck, this bad-tempered critter can give you a nasty non-venomous bite, and is likely to hold on for quite a while. All snakes are good swimmers, but this one actually likes the water.

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Wildlife,

Dams and Weirs

A weir or low-head dam is a barrier across the width of a river that alters the flow characteristics of water and usually results in a change in the height of the river level. Weirs are also used to control the flow of water for outlets of lakes, ponds, and reservoirs. There are many weir designs, but commonly water flows freely over the top of the weir crest before cascading down to a lower level.

Even though the water around weirs can often appear relatively calm, they can be extremely dangerous places to boat, swim, or wade, as the circulation patterns on the downstream side - typically called a hydraulic jump - can submerge a person indefinitely. This phenomenon is so well known to canoeists, kayakers, and others who spend time on rivers that they even have a rueful name for weirs: "drowning machines".

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