Ornate box turtle

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")