A New Hope... Err.. Turtle.

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Posted on August 5th, 2017 at 7:43 PM

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I have been monitoring a small population of Ornate Box Turtles in Buchanan County, Iowa this year. We thought the population was gone, but earlier in the year, ten individuals were found and differentiated based on scale markings. All of them were old turtles, and I wasn't sure if babies were surviving.

I stopped by the site today with a friend though, and he found a turtle. Not only was it a new turtle, it was a young turtle. I estimate that it is four or five years old, based on the growth rings on it's shell. I think it is a female, but I am not certain due to it's small size.