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Name: Isaac
Status: student
Age: 12
Location: N/A
Country: N/A
Date: 6/25/2003
Question:
How do you tell land turtles apart from male and female?

Replies:
There are several species of terretrial turtles in the eastern US. Two of the more common:

Wood Turtles: "Males have long, thick tails with the cloacal opening, or anus, located outside the shell's edge. Females have slighter tails with the cloacae opening within shell boundaries."

(from http://www.dnr.state.wi.us/org/land/er/factsheets/herps/wturtle.htm) Eastern Box Turtle: "The head, neck, and legs of the box turtle are also brightly colored with yellow and orange, particularly in the males. Male box turtles usually have bright red or orange colored eyes while the eyes of the females are usually dark red or brown. Male box turtles also have a slight depression in the middle of their lower shells while that of the female's is flat." (from http://wildwnc.org/af/boxturtles.html)

J. Elliott

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