Florida Box Turtle
The Florida Box Turtle (Terrapene carolina) is a small 10-25 cm turtle found throughout the eastern United States. It is exclusive to North America. They have dark brown, almost black legs with bright yellow spots, with a yellow underbelly (plastron) and black upper shell (carapace) covered in beautiful yellow-stripe patterns. The females tend to be a bit smaller than the males, with dark red eyes instead of bright red, and have a flat plastron compared with the curved plastron of the males. An interesting fact about these turtles are that they have a hinged plastron that allows them to almost completely seal themselves in their shell. They can be found in humid areas such as marshes, dense forests, and swampy or agricultural areas. View more information about the Florida Box Turtle.