Box Turtles

Me and my mom found this male Box Turtle crossing the road and just had to save it! Box Turtles are turtles of the genus Terrapene native to North America occasionally in dry regions but are most likely to be found in moist forested areas. Although they are not aquatic they tend to swim in shallow waters for long periods of time. Box Turtles can live up to 100 years in captivity and up to 50 years in the wild. Female box turtles can reach a maximum length of about eight inches from head to tail. Males are smaller, measuring about seven inches across. Box Turtles often have dark colored shells such as brown with bright colored spots such as orange or yellow. To tell if a Box Turtle is a male or female you can most often look into its eyes. Male Box Turtles typically have red eyes while female Box Turtles have yellow or brown eyes. Box Turtles are omnivores. Many say a Box Turtle will "eat what it can get" so their diet varies. They eat many things such as snails, spiders, earthworms, caterpillars, grasshoppers, fallen fruit, berries, flowers, and grass. One cool fact about a Box Turtle is that their shell has great regenerative powers! A case was reported in which the carapace of a badly burned box turtle underwent complete regeneration! Ok so I think we can all agree that Box Turtles, male or female, are quite adorable and cool!!