The ornate box turtle is the official state reptile for Kansas. This is cache #11 in a series of 27 honoring the state symbols of Kansas and Nebraska along State Line Road.
The ornate box turtle, scientifically known as terrapene ornata ornata, is one of only two terrestrial turtles native to the great plains of the United States. It is a relatively small turtle that isn't threatened or endangered, but is of concern and protected in six midwestern states, including Kansas and Nebraska. Males are often smaller than females and have a large, curved inner claw on their back feet and longer, thicker tails than their female counterparts. They nest from Wisconsin to the Gulf of Mexico and from Louisiana to Colorado. First discovered in 1795 in Nebraska. Prefer open grass or prairie lands that have some free, fresh water.
The ornate box turtle was designated as the state reptile for Kansas in 1986. Trainluvr79 once owned one that was discovered on a gravel road in Nebraska when he was a child. It is illegal to do this in Kansas with any type of turtle.