At about this time of year, a small animal that most people probably have seen before emerges from its winter nest.
It sheds its blanket of leaf litter from the forest floor or leaves its rotting log behind and starts moving again, slowly.
This animal is never in a hurry and couldn?t run if it tried, which is why so many children get a chance to see it up close in the wild. (But don?t touch!)
It can?t fight, but most other animals still leave it alone.
You are most likely to see it after a rain shower, in the woods or a field of grass.
But if you get too close, it may pull a disappearing act.
Move it, and it will spend the rest of its life trying to find its way home. If moved more than a mile, it may never succeed.
What is it? An Eastern box turtle.
Be good to this peaceful little reptile. Never remove one from the wild. Never relocate one unless you?re helping it to cross a road. And if you do, do so safely, and point the turtle in the same direction that it was headed.
Never return a pet or rescued box turtle to the wild without first contacting the Maryland Department of Natural Resources.
Provided by The Maryland Zoo, www.marylandzoo.org.
