California box turtle (SciiFii)

The California box turtle (Terrapene californianus) is a species of box turtle, most closely related to the western box turtle (Terrapene ornata) that originally did not exist, but has since been created by SciiFii and introduced throughout the wetlands, forests, open woodlands, grasslands, shrublands, scrublands, and deserts across California, Nevada, Utah, Arizona, New Mexico, Idaho, and Oregon to help boost biodiversity. The California box turtle has a shell that is less domed than many other species of box turtle, appearing to be slightly flattened. Their coloration is generally black or dark brown, with yellowish-orange blotches. The California box turtle is most terrestrial of all known box turtle species, and eats a wide variety of plants and small invertebrate animals. The females lay their eggs in the summer. In the warmer summer months, California box turtles are more likely to be seen near the edges of humid habitats such as swamps or marshlands, in an effort to stay cool. If California box turtles do become too hot, (when their body temperature rises to around 40-70 °C), they smear saliva over their legs and head; as the saliva evaporates it leaves them comfortably cooler. California box turtles is the most resilient of all known box turtle species to the cold, heat, humidity, and aridity. Courtship in the California box turtle, which usually takes place in spring, begins with a "circling, biting and shoving" phase. These acts are carried out by the male on the female. Following some pushing and shell-biting, the male grips the back of the female's shell with his hind feet to enable him to lean back, slightly beyond the vertical, and mate with the female. Remarkably, female California box turtles can store sperm for up to ten years after mating, and thus do not need to mate each year. In April, May, June, or July, females normally lay a clutch of 9 to 21 eggs into a flask-shaped nest excavated in a patch of sandy, loamy, or semi-humid soil. After 60 to 70 days of incubation, the eggs hatch, and the small hatchlings emerge from the nest in mid-to-late summer. In the cold parts of its range, the California box turtle may enter hibernation in October or November. They burrow into loose soil, sand, vegetable matter, or mud at the bottom of streams and pools, or they may use a mammal burrow or piles of rocks, and will remain in their chosen shelter until the cold winter has passed. The California box turtle has been known to attain the greatest lifespan among the non-immortal land vertebrates outside of the tortoises. Several specimens have been known to live to be more than 200 years of age. The conservation status of the California box turtle is Least Concern due to successful conservation efforts, the California box turtle's wide range and its tolerance to many of the human activities.
Category:Animals
Category:Species
Category:SciiFii