Nature Study Tuesday---Turtle Power!

The other day hubby was mowing and almost

ran over this interesting little guy.

We took him home and looked him up on the internet

and discovered he is an Eastern Box Turtle

(that's what we figured, but we wanted to be sure.)

Here is the view of his underbelly, and one from above.

Isn't he pretty? Or should I say handsome?

Here's what we found out about Box Turtles.

Scientific name: Terrapine carolina

They are the state reptile of North Carolina.

Eastern Box Turtles are one of only two types of box turtles

found in the US.

They range along the entire Eastern Coast of the US.

Box turtles live a long time, mature slowly, and have relatively

few offspring per year.

They live between 25-30 years old

(though some records indicate 50 year old turtles!)

and do not mature until age 7-10, when the females will lay

3-6 eggs in a shallow nest.

Over a lifetime a female will lay hundreds of eggs, but only about 3

of these offspring will make it to reproductive maturity.

You can tell a male from a female by looking at their shell shape.

Males have a flatter shell, while female's shells are more rounded.

Also, male's eyes are darker orange or red,

while female's eyes are brown or light orange.

We think we found a male turtle.

His eyes were very orangey-red,

and his shell was not very rounded.

Eastern Box Turtles are special because they can completely

close their hinged shell as a defense against predators.

An Eastern Box Turtle also has four toes per hind foot.

Box Turtles vary greatly in coloring, shape, and pattern.

They are very brightly colored and reach a

maximum length of about 8 inches long.

They are omnivores, eating almost anything they come across,

from slugs, worms, and bugs to mushrooms, fruits, and vegetables. 

They even sometimes eat carrion. (ugh!)

Box turtles live in a variety of habitats,

from wooded areas to grassy fields.

They may wander into water, but do not live in it.

They usually stay within 200 yards of their homes.

Box turtles hibernate in cold climates

by digging into loose soil and covering up.

Because they are slow to mature and so few of them survive,

as they lose habitat to construction, etc. and more die

due to encounters with vehicles and farm equipment,

their numbers dwindle more each year.

So if you come across a Box Turtle, be very kind to him.

He is an important part of the ecosystem.

Have fun looking at him for a while, but ALWAYS return him

to where you found them because

Box Turtles have a natural homing instinct

and will try to return to their hatching ground

no matter how far away it is. WOW!

We found this information on a great site about the Eastern Box Turtle.

If you want to read more, or see more pictures of these cute guys,

click on the link above.

Our turtle friend spent about a half and hour amusing

the children and being photographed,

then the kids took him outside FAR away

from the mower (but not too far from his home)
and set him free.

We are so glad he came to visit.

Bye-bye, Mr. Turtle!

Blessings,

Heather

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