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Ornate Box Turtle
Terrapene ornata ornata
Description
A prairie box turtle whose dark shell is ruled with bright radiating yellow lines. In Indiana it survives only in the northwestern sand country.
Stats
Size
Carapace 4 - 5 inches
Status
State Endangered
Similar Species
Eastern Box Turtle, which has a taller shell with irregular blotches rather than radiating lines.
Diet
Chiefly insects such as grasshoppers and beetles, plus berries and carrion.
Habitat
Sand prairies, dunes, and open grasslands of northwestern Indiana.
Reproduction
Lays 2-8 eggs in sandy soil in early summer; sex is determined by nest temperature.
Ornate Box Turtle
Ornate Box Turtle
Terrapene ornata ornata
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