Common name : Eastern box turtle
Scientific name : Terrapene carolina
Family : Emydidae
Native to : Eastern United States and Eastern Mexico
Interesting fact : When it is too hot, the box turtle keeps itself cool by smearing saliva on its head and hands, and urinates on the lower parts of the body.
Conservation status : Vulnerable
With hinges, the turtle’s shell can be shut tight like a box. The upper jaw is hooked. These land-dwellers hide under leaf litter, logs and inside burrows and come out once it rains. During summer they visit swamps and marshes to cool down; while in winter, they hibernate inside burrows. They are known to live for more than a 100 years.
