Look what I found on the trail — an Eastern Box Turtle! 🐢🍂 These amazing turtles can completely close their shells like a box when they’re scared — it’s how they got their name! Their beautiful camouflaged shells help them blend perfectly with the forest floor. 🌳 This one’s likely a male (red eyes are a good clue 👀), but the best way to tell is by checking underneath: males have a concave shell, while females have a flat one to make room for eggs. 🥚 Box turtles don’t have webbed feet like a

Meet the eastern box turtle! 🐢 They can be identified by their domed shell that has blotches of yellow, orange, brown, and black. 🐢 They are terrestrial, meaning they live predominantly on land. 🐢 They are called “box turtles” because they can completely close their lower shells and box themselves in. 🐢 Males have red eyes while females have brown or dark red eyes. 🐢 We think they are stunning, gorgeous, beautiful, and amazing. Learn more about box turtles and all freshwater turtles of Mass