Zipping through the trails on the gator to gather up some fern fronds, I nearly made this little guy a speed bump. At first glance he looked a little like a box turtle in the wrong colored shell (sans stripes). With a tan carapace with no markings, orange red scales on his legs, and a vivid red head I was stumped… It didn’t help that although he had a hinged plastron (pretty good id for a box turtle), this little guy was having nothing to do sealing him self safely inside his shell. Rather, as Kristen from over at Lepcurious so aptly titled this photo…this little guy was in a perpetual state of “Raaaaawrrrr!!!”
We decided to let this bundle of attitude wrapped in keratin and bone have his way with the Back Woods. From what I have read, this particular sub species of box turtle (Terrapene carolina triunguis) otherwise known as the three toed box turtle is only found in the panhandle of Florida. Being well south of his natural range, it is possible that this animal is an escaped or released pet. (Please don’t let ANY pet trade or domesticated animal go in the wild) Had I paid a little closer attention to his range we might have found him a home elsewhere. We’ll call it my karmic balance for the Bufo marinus in the freezer today…but that is another story.
Check out our Facebook page for the dramatic release into the Back Woods
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