Darn it...I wasn't thinking. I should have gone for the camera, but I was so excited I forgot the "necessities!"
I was cutting branches off the tree when I happened to look down and saw a perfect little hole in the smooth dirt. No dirt mounded up around the hole, just a clean hole. Those box turtle officianados know what that means...BABIES!!!
So I carefully dug down into the nest and here's what I found:
It was interesting to note that the babies were only down about an inch from the ground level. After I dug out the babies, I continued down further, and found the empty egg shells down about 5". So, the babies hatch out and their movement causes the soil above them to fall down into the hole, which then covers the empty shells and leaves the babies close to the surface.
These are gulf coast box turtles...the first I've hatched here.
I was cutting branches off the tree when I happened to look down and saw a perfect little hole in the smooth dirt. No dirt mounded up around the hole, just a clean hole. Those box turtle officianados know what that means...BABIES!!!
So I carefully dug down into the nest and here's what I found:
It was interesting to note that the babies were only down about an inch from the ground level. After I dug out the babies, I continued down further, and found the empty egg shells down about 5". So, the babies hatch out and their movement causes the soil above them to fall down into the hole, which then covers the empty shells and leaves the babies close to the surface.
These are gulf coast box turtles...the first I've hatched here.