What kind of tortoise is this?

[Kerryann]

A friend in Georgia found it:
I hope you can see the link. If not I can steal her pic and repost it
https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.ne...022183546_1371623965_3467566_1828574487_n.jpg
i said gopher

 

[Laura]

looks like an old Box turtle.. do they 'grow' wild there?

 

[Kerryann]

 

[tortadise]

That's not a gopher tortoise. I honestly have no idea. Looms to be a box turtle of some kind with a ploughshare carapace. Hmmm time to investigate.

 

[Itort]

It's a box turtle and they are native to both Michigan and Georgia. I believe they are protected in Michigan.

 

[Kerryann]

She's in Georgia last I knew. I am sure she's not in MI.

---

That's not a gopher tortoise. I honestly have no idea. Looms to be a box turtle of some kind with a ploughshare carapace. Hmmm time to investigate.

It's shape is what made it hard for me to figure out from pictures too. I tried to see what they have native down there tortoisewise.

 

[Paradon]

Looks like an eastern box turtle...

 

[tortadise]

Gulf coast boxes get very high domed carapaces but that photo is just really standing out differently to me. Gophers are real wide and kinda flattened so they can fit in their burrows. Gophers also haw very large viper snake like heads.

 

[yagyujubei]

You are correct.

Looks like an eastern box turtle...

---

205 area code is central Alabama. I wouldn't mind having that turtle.

---

It's in Tuscaloosa.

 

[Kerryann]

She said he was found in a parking lot with the tortoise sticker attached to him.

---

Also she's trying to find his home. I will let you know if he needs a home.

 

[Redstrike]

The image could be slightly distorted from creating the poster, over-exaggerating the dome on the carapace - just a thought?

 

[GBtortoises]

It's definitely an American Box turtle, looks like it could be an Eastern Box, Terrapene carolina carolina.

 

[Laura]

is that sticker some sort of count or researcher number?

 

[EricIvins]

is that sticker some sort of count or researcher number?

If that were the case, it wouldn't be a wild animal.......I don't know of any researcher putting a bullseye like that on a research animal........

Was that piece of tape on the animal when it was caught?

 

[GeoTerraTestudo]

Yeah, it's definitely an eastern boxie.

 

[lutinorob]

look like a eastern box turtle

 

[terryo]

It looks like an older Eastern Box turtle to me.

 

[wildak]

I agree with Eastern Box turtle and with EricIvans that putting a sticker on them makes them easy for people to see and take and I doubt a researcher would do this on a wild animal. They sometimes file grooves in marginal scutes to id them wich works the best since paint wears off fast in the wild.

---

It is their native range and they are protected everywhere but South Carolina I believe unless it has changed.

 

[turtlemann2]

Interesting, my ornate was also found wondering but in my case it was in a public park WAY out of its native range