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Three-toed Box Turtle

Terrapene carolina triunguis

Photo by NeilDazet
Published on Project Noah
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37.1123, -93.2496

Field Notes

Description:

Terrapene carolina triunguis is a subspecies within the genus of hinge-shelled turtles commonly referred to as box turtles. This subspecies is native to the south-central part of the United States and is the official reptile of the state of Missouri.

Habitat:

Forest, but only about 10 meters from Lake Springfield.

Notes:

He never retreated into his shell during our little spontaneous photo shoot, which is quite rare in my experience.

Reference Links:

Three-toed box turtle

Species ID Suggestions

Comments (11)
NeilDazet
Thank you all for the kind comments! This is a personal fav!
NeilDazet
Updated this spotting with better photos.
NeilDazet
This ssp. the Three-Toed box turtle doesn't have much color on their shells, but sometimes, they make up for it by having beautiful coloration on their head and limbs, especially the males. Thanks for the compliment - he is beautiful indeed!

Spotted for Missions

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2011 Best Wildlife Photo
Mission
Reptiles of the World
Mission
National Geographic's Great Nature Project
Photographed
PublishedMay 14, 2011

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