Skip to main content

Ornate box turtle

Terrapene ornata ornata

Photo by Aaron_G
Published on Project Noah
Zoom
NominateNominate for Wildlife Photograph of the Month
reportFlag Spotting

36.7473, -95.9808

Field Notes

Description:

May 23rd is World Turtle Day and this is how I celebrated. :-)

Habitat:

Rural area that's basically cattle pastures

Notes:

It has a high-domed carapace that normally lacks a keel along the midline. Each brown scute has bright yellow lines. Frequently, a yellow line extends down the midline of the carapace. The plastron has a hinge and is distinctly patterned with yellow and black markings. The male has a concave plastron. There are four (sometimes three) toes on the hind foot. The hind feet are stumpy and not webbed. The eyes of a male are red and the eyes of a female are yellow or brown. "Terrapene" comes from a Native American word for turtle, and "ornata" refers to the ornate pattern on the shell. (information from "A Field Guide to Oklahoma's Amphibians and Reptiles")

Species ID Suggestions

Comments (5)

Thank you both! Ashley, I had to lie motionless on the road and wait for that shot. Every time I made a movement, the turtle would pull back inside its shell. It finally got the nerve to walk. Thankfully it was a quiet road and there was no other traffic.
Really love the second photo! And this reminds me I have a box turtle to upload too :)
Photographed
PublishedMay 23, 2014

Accelerate our Mission to Photograph 
Every Species in the World!

Image
Butterflies icon

Wildlife Community

Wildlife Community

Join a worldwide community passionate about wildlife and nature!

Join Project Noah

Nature School

Nature School

Transform your green space into a curiosity-creating nature classroom!

Visit Nature School

Wildlife Game

Wildlife Game

Defend wildlife throughout the jungle in thrilling nature game!

Play Baboon