Eastern Box Turtle

Terrapene carolina

Safereptiles

1 Totally safe danger 1 out of 5

Photo by “Jonathan Zander (Digon3)" (CC BY-SA 3.0) via Wikimedia Commons

What you should know

Harmless and slow, and its shell shuts completely like a box with a hinge.

If you find one crossing a road, move it the way it was already going. Turn it around and it will just try again.

This one is genuinely harmless to people. Still look with your eyes and let it go about its day.

Always ask a grown-up before you touch any animal or plant. If something bites or stings you, tell an adult right away.

Source: FDA

Read more about the eastern box turtle at Wikipedia.