The Eastern Box Turtle (Terrapene carolina carolina) is the only land turtle found in North Carolina, and has been designated the state reptile. Individuals can live more than 100 years. I always enjoy stumbling across turtles, and was especially happy to see this one in the neighborhood since, because of its very slow movement and low reproductive rate, this species is considered "near threatened" or "vulnerable."
This month's Ocracoke Newsletter is the story of whale and porpoise fishing on the Outer Banks. You can read it here: http://www.villagecraftsmen.com/news082115.htm.
Did you happen to notice the eyes? Red for a gent and brown for a lady. They say you can count the ridges to see how old they are until they get over 25 and grow so slowly it is hard to see them. Apparently the mosquito spraying doesn't disturb them!
ReplyDeleteI didn't notice the eye color...and didn't know that is an indicator of gender. Thanks for the information.
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