Coal Creek Wildlife-Western Box Turtle

The Western Box Turtle by Evan, age 9

You are trying to find something in the prairie grassland and you feel like something is watching you, what could it be? Nothing else but the western box turtle. It has extraordinary camouflage and moves ever so slowly, which makes it almost invisible. The only time it speeds up is when it mates. The male will hurdle itself onto the female's back until she lay 2 eggs. The western box turtle eats caterpillars and other insects. The western box turtle lives up to 50 years old. That's old ! The western box turtle is 4 to 6 inches long. Their shell is on both sides of their bodies. Their shell gives them a lot of protection from predators. But it is no protection against automobiles.

This eastern box turtle is a relative of the western box turtle.

I got my information from COLORADO WILDLIFE by Jeff Rennicke.

Western Box Turtle by Jenny C., age 9

If you see a small reptile with yellow radiating lines on its shell, it may be a turtle. Can you see if it is about four to six inches long? If it is, then it may be a western box turtle. Does it mostly spend its time on land? Does it hide its eggs underground? Do the eggs hatch in 10 weeks? Can it close the space between its neck and feet? If so, then it is definitely a western box turtle! Their enemies are coyotes, badgers and hawks because those animals eat the young. The western box turtle has a life span of more than 50 years. It lives in eastern Colorado up to 5,500 feet.

I got my information from COLORADO WILDLIFE by Jeff Rennicke.

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