This is a western box turtle or a desert box turtle. Species
There are two subspecies of the box turtles there is Ornate Box Turtle (Left) and the Desert Box Turtle (Right) Habitat and inhabitants/habitants
The Western Box Turtle's habitat is in a Deserts, Dunes, Savanna, Grasslands, and Mountains. The Western Box Turtle usually spends it's whole life in a pretty small area little less then an acre. The western box turtle lives in the Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Missouri, Nebraska, New Mexico, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas, Wisconsin, Chihuahua, Sonora Wyoming. The western box turtle's habitat has many other inhabitants such as snakes, birds, scorpions, coyotes, lizards, and spiders and many more. The abiotic habitants are sand, (the lack of) moisture, temperature In fall, the Western box turtle will dig a small hole to hibernate during the winter. The Western box turtle is usually active during sunset, near sunrise and after rain fall. The western box turtle will burrow a hole in the ground to avoid boiling temperatures. Diet The western box turtle mainly eats insects, spiders, worms, eggs, succulent plants, carrion and berries. They also eat mixture of reptiles, Cactus and may even eat mushrooms that are poison a human. While it will drink and even swim if it’s near water it meets most of its liquid needs from its diet. Western box turtle can also get water from cactus. Description
The desert box turtle has a hinged shell similar to other box turtles that allows it to completely close its shell to protect itself.
Desert box turtles have two different types of coloration. One has patterns and the other has no pattern. The patterned turtle has a brown to pale carapace and thin yellow lines. The unpatterned type of turtle has straw colored or greenish carapace. This type is less common and has no striping.
The body and legs are dark colored with yellow markings.The average length of a western box turtle is 35 centimeters. Desert box turtles have a sharp beak so they can eat, chew, bite their food. The western box turtle has lungs and so breathes through its mouth. It inflates and deflates its lungs by flexing muscles at its leg openings. These muscles are used instead of the diaphragm because the diaphragm was lost when the turtles ribs fused to form their shell. Male plastron, typically somewhat depressed, female plastron, more flat;male eyes typically red,female eyes typically yellowish brown;male heads often greenish,female heads more grayish brown. 5 abiotic things in the ecosystem
Sand to dig a burrow from hot weather
Soil to dig and/or burrow from hot weather
Sunlight to keep warm
Water the stay hydrated
Rock to live in 10 biotic things in the ecosystem
insects to eat
spiders to eat
worms to eat
cactus to get water
lizards to hide from to not get eaten
trees to be in the shade
people to view the turtles
other box turtles to mate with each other
birds to hide from
plants to eat Legend Brown = non living Blue = habitat Dark Blue = water Red = Activity Lime green and Light brown = Subspecies Dark Green = diet Pink = Female Orange = Male Resources http://www.desertusa.com/animals/box_turtle.html http://www.boxturtles.com/western-box-turtle/ http://www.answers.com/Q/Does_a_turtle_breathe_through_its_shell
Western Box Turtle
This is a western box turtle or a desert box turtle.Species
There are two subspecies of the box turtles there is Ornate Box Turtle (Left) and the Desert Box Turtle (Right)
Habitat and inhabitants/habitants
The Western Box Turtle's habitat is in a Deserts, Dunes, Savanna, Grasslands, and Mountains. The Western Box Turtle usually spends it's whole life in a pretty small area little less then an acre. The western box turtle lives in the Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Missouri, Nebraska, New Mexico, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas, Wisconsin, Chihuahua, Sonora Wyoming. The western box turtle's habitat has many other inhabitants such as snakes, birds, scorpions, coyotes, lizards, and spiders and many more. The abiotic habitants are sand, (the lack of) moisture, temperature In fall, the Western box turtle will dig a small hole to hibernate during the winter. The Western box turtle is usually active during sunset, near sunrise and after rain fall. The western box turtle will burrow a hole in the ground to avoid boiling temperatures.
Diet
The western box turtle mainly eats insects, spiders, worms, eggs, succulent plants, carrion and berries. They also eat mixture of reptiles, Cactus and may even eat mushrooms that are poison a human. While it will drink and even swim if it’s near water it meets most of its liquid needs from its diet. Western box turtle can also get water from cactus.
Description
The desert box turtle has a hinged shell similar to other box turtles that allows it to completely close its shell to protect itself.
Desert box turtles have two different types of coloration. One has patterns and the other has no pattern. The patterned turtle has a brown to pale carapace and thin yellow lines. The unpatterned type of turtle has straw colored or greenish carapace. This type is less common and has no striping.
The body and legs are dark colored with yellow markings.The average length of a western box turtle is 35 centimeters. Desert box turtles have a sharp beak so they can eat, chew, bite their food. The western box turtle has lungs and so breathes through its mouth. It inflates and deflates its lungs by flexing muscles at its leg openings. These muscles are used instead of the diaphragm because the diaphragm was lost when the turtles ribs fused to form their shell.
Male plastron, typically somewhat depressed, female plastron, more flat; male eyes typically red, female eyes typically yellowish brown; male heads often greenish, female heads more grayish brown.
5 abiotic things in the ecosystem
Sand to dig a burrow from hot weather
Soil to dig and/or burrow from hot weather
Sunlight to keep warm
Water the stay hydrated
Rock to live in
10 biotic things in the ecosystem
insects to eat
spiders to eat
worms to eat
cactus to get water
lizards to hide from to not get eaten
trees to be in the shade
people to view the turtles
other box turtles to mate with each other
birds to hide from
plants to eat
Legend
Brown = non living
Blue = habitat
Dark Blue = water
Red = Activity
Lime green and Light brown = Subspecies
Dark Green = diet
Pink = Female
Orange = Male
Resources
http://www.desertusa.com/animals/box_turtle.html
http://www.boxturtles.com/western-box-turtle/
http://www.answers.com/Q/Does_a_turtle_breathe_through_its_shell