ABSTRACT

A free-living adult common snapping turtle, Chelydra serpentina, was presented to a wildlife care facility with an ulcerated expansive mass on the left side of its head and neck. Surgical exploration and excision of the mass revealed a necrotic plug of tissue, possibly auricular in origin. The mass was described histopathologically as being necrotic with laminations of tissue layers. Microbiology of samples collected from the lesion supported a diagnosis of bacterial granuloma.