Found pretty Box Turtle

[Yamaha4x4_19]

Just found this cute lil guy in my fenced in backyard right outside my Sulcata enclosure. At first glance I thought one of my smaller Suclatas had escaped lol no idea how it got in my backyard! Just thought his colors were really pretty.

 

[Neal]

Great looking specimen!

Looks like he's an old fellow.

 

[Yamaha4x4_19]

Is colors are so orange. Pretty sure it's a three toed box turtle

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Just released him back into my backyard. Wonder how long he will stay in my yard before he finds a way out lol

 

[txturtle13]

Gorgeous! Feed him/her some worms and he may stay with you


My Loves:
My Husband
2 Dogs
1 Boxie
1 Betta fish

 

[Baoh]

Looks like a natural intergrade.

 

[Millerlite]

Very nice lookin male. He will make some fine babies when he finds a female.

Oh and side story, when I lived in IL ny busy found a box turtle crossing his yard he took pictures and let it go in his back yard ( we don't have fenced yards) this turtle ended up making his yard his home and stayed there for many years came back every year. Idk if its still hanging out or what but it was cool


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[gieseygirly]

My guess is an Eastern box turtle?? Very nice looking

 

[Yamaha4x4_19]

Nope it's def a three-toed Box turtle. Just checked his back feet and there's only 3 toes lol

 

[txturtle13]

Possible natural three-toed/eastern hybrid? Beautiful coloring I love how all the boxies are all so different


My Loves:
My Husband
2 Dogs
1 Boxie
1 Betta fish

 

[Baoh]

As I said, it is an intergrade.

 

[diamondbp]

That box turtle shows no signs of being an intergrade . It looks 100% male 3toed. What area are you located? That would help determine if its indeed just a pure 3toed or not.

 

[Baoh]

That box turtle shows no signs of being an intergrade . It looks 100% male 3toed. What area are you located? That would help determine if its indeed just a pure 3toed or not.

This is what the male three-toeds look like in our area.

That animal above earlier in this thread looks exactly like both the captive bred and naturally occurring intergrades that are in our area.

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That box turtle shows no signs of being an intergrade . It looks 100% male 3toed. What area are you located? That would help determine if its indeed just a pure 3toed or not.

We are in MO, by the way. The shell and rear limbs will be seemingly three-toed in nature. The head and forelimbs will be more like an Eastern.

Usually, anyway.

 

[Yamaha4x4_19]

O I'm sorry guys I had no idea what intergrade meant lol yea now that you say it the coloring on the legs looks like an Eastern. And I'm located in St. Louis Missouri.

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I've always just used the word hybrid. Glad I joined this forum. I learn new stuff everyday!

 

[txturtle13]

Yamaha, I didn't know there was a difference between hybrid and intergrade either. I learn something new every day on this forum. Love it!


My Loves:
My Husband
2 Dogs
1 Boxie
1 Betta fish

 

[Baoh]

O I'm sorry guys I had no idea what intergrade meant lol yea now that you say it the coloring on the legs looks like an Eastern. And I'm located in St. Louis Missouri.

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I've always just used the word hybrid. Glad I joined this forum. I learn new stuff everyday!

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No need to be sorry. An intergrade, as it applies here, is basically an intra-specific hybrid.

The extra confusion comes in not when it is at the level of of the Eastern x three-toed cross, but when the F1 offspring from that cross crosses back with one of the parent subspecies. So an EasternXthree-toed is something you can see if you look for it or see enough of them. But an (EasternXthree-toed)Xthree-toed? Very blurry and I would not trust myself to be able to be sure at that level. I probably would not even notice it and would just think it is a prettier than average three-toed.

Colors vary, but the three-toeds in this area tend to have reduced pattern on the legs, the relatively drab shell with some hints of yellow spotting/flecks at times, and reduced or absent pattern on the head. The males will have a deep red color of some sort in most cases. The beaks will be highly variable. Crosses with Easterns here, often occurring naturally, "dress up" the overall look.

This is probably going on in other areas, too. In PA/(NJ)/NY/MD in the 90s, a lot of young three-toeds were released after becoming more popular in the pet trade there. I only saw Easterns in the wild there before that point.

 

[Yamaha4x4_19]

Thanks Baoh! That's very interesting. Glad you told me! By the way what part of Missouri are you from?

 

[Baoh]

I moved here for work and love from FL and I am originally from PA. I live and work in the Eastern portion of the state for the most part.

 

[diamondbp]

The coloring of that male is still very much in the spectrum of 3toed coloring. I have some Louisiana specimens that look just like him and eastern genetics are nowhere near Louisiana .
His shell shape, head shape, coloring, and toes all point toward 100% 3toed.
Yes most specimens from MO do have a Drabber appearance but that doesn't automatically make a colorful male an intergrade.
I've seen an enormous amount of diversity in both the gulf coast and 3toeds in south Louisiana. I have some 3toeds that look like ornates, some are almost jet black, some horn phase, some speckled, some mind blowing with color, etc, all from the EXACT same area .

So in short I think people are to quick to say intergrade rather than realizing how diverse genetics are within a subspecies.

Much love =)

 

[terryo]

Does his beak look overgrown? Not sure from the picture. That's usually an indication that it was someone's pet turtle who escaped. I've never seen a wild turtle with an overgrown beak. He's also very old looking to me.