Box Turtle
Posted on in Recent Sightings by Hawk Mountain
A female Box Turtle (Terrapene) was seen getting ready to dig a nest on the back side of Owl's Head. The Box Turtle is native to North America and is named for its ability to fully retract itself into its shell and close its shell entirely, protecting it from predators. The shell of a Box Turtle keeps growing throughout its life, even healing itself if the shell becomes cracked. They do so by using Keratin, the same substance that human hair and nails are made of.
They can live to be as old as 40 or 50 years!
Photo by Ron Alford