Unusual surprises continue at the end of the universe.
This afternoon as another storm front edged its way over the Cape, a box turtle hatchling was discovered on the shoulder by Fresh Brook in South Wellfleet. With a straight line carapace length of 3.3 and width of 2.8 centimeters, this young critter weighed in at 6 grams, still sporting a prickly sharp egg tooth. Ninety minutes later and a couple of miles to the northwest, another diamondback terrapin carcass was discovered in the marsh grass south of Fox Island. His carapace was exquisitely sculpted and bore no signs of scratching or predation. The plastron showed an anomalous discoloration of the humeral and gular scutes, suggesting that this turtle may have been buried for some time with only this portion of the shell exposed to the elements.