Tuesday, January 05, 2016

NC State Reptile

In 1979 the Eastern Box Turtle was designated the official North Carolina State Reptile.


















A friend spotted this fellow crossing the road near the Island Inn last fall. We stopped and moved him out of the traffic lane. I snapped this photo just before he vanished into the underbrush.

The Eastern Box Turtle (Terrapene carolina carolina) is the only terrestrial turtle found in North Carolina. You can read more here: http://www.ncwildlife.org/Portals/0/Learning/documents/Profiles/Eastern_Box_Turtle.pdf.

Our latest Ocracoke Newsletter is the story of Capt. Horatio Williams and his schooner, the Paragon. You can read the story here: www.villagecraftsmen.com/news112115.htm.

2 comments:

  1. Bear MacDonald7:02 AM

    Welcome back Philip.

    I have learned the hard way that turtles are territorial. When released in a local other than where they were captured, they will go to great lengths to return to their home, often risking their lives on highways.

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  2. Anonymous7:58 AM

    Ranchers failing to pay grazing fees to the BLM tend to be territorial and hell bent thinking it is their way or the highway. Wait --Taxpayers all across the USA paid for both the buildings they are playing house in and the roads they used to arrive at the remote "Unoccupied" federal properties. It begs the question how many remote federal properties are vulnerable in North Carolina? There are ferry or very worthy causes to draw media attention??

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