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Box Turtles

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by Peter Schriemer on April 1, 2023

One of the most common turtles you’ll see in North America is the eastern box turtle. This turtle lives around ponds, fields, meadows, and forests in the eastern and central United States.

Fun Facts

  • Within their lifetime, most box turtles don’t travel far from their birthplace.
  • Box turtles are shy, often hiding in logs or bushes.
  • A box turtle usually lays one clutch (group) of 2–8 eggs per year.
  • The longest living box turtle in captivity lived to be 138 years old. Box turtles in the wild can live to be 100 years old.

You might think of a turtle’s shell as a home it carries around. But that shell is actually part of the turtle’s body, with its backbone running along the top of the shell.

God designed the box turtle’s shell so that the whole turtle can fit inside. This provides great protection for the turtle against predators. Before Adam and Eve sinned and death entered the world, turtles didn’t have to worry about being eaten by other animals. But in our fallen world, their shell acts like a suit of armor to keep them safe.

The bottom part of a box turtle’s shell has a special hinge. When a box turtle goes into his shell, he can pull up the bottom part like a drawbridge and tuck inside, legs and all. This is how box turtles get their name—they box themselves up.

Puzzle It Out

Grab a pencil and connect the path from 1 through 10 in order.

You can connect the path online or download it below!

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Peter Schriemer

I’m Peter Schriemer! As a wildlife educator and TV host, I get excited about tracking down God’s creatures! Join my adventures on my Answers TV show Hike & Seek.

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