If you find a Florida box turtle in your yard, the best move is usually to leave it where it is.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission says a box turtle may spend its whole life in about one square mile, and that because of this small home range the turtles should never be relocated. FWC also advises against transporting and releasing them elsewhere, even if the turtle looks healthy, to limit the spread of disease.

How to know it

The Florida box turtle lives in the peninsula and is marked with yellow lines that radiate from the center of the shell like sun rays. It is one of Florida's two land turtles, along with the gopher tortoise. A hinged shell lets it close up completely, which the other turtles in Florida cannot do.

A long life

FWC reports that wild box turtles have been recorded living more than 50 years, and may live longer. That is why losing one adult matters to a local population.

Threats

Box turtles are affected by ranavirus, a disease that can spread when animals are moved. Collecting has also been a problem. FWC says overcollection led to limits on taking and keeping them, and the limit is two box turtles per person. In 2019, FWC investigators uncovered a turtle smuggling operation that illegally collected box turtles for Asian markets.

Southwest Florida research

The Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation has studied Florida box turtles on Sanibel since 2002, and began radio tracking them in 2019 to learn about their home ranges and habitat.

If you find a sick turtle

FWC asks people who see sick or dead turtles to contact their FWC regional office.

Sources: Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission; Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation; Journal of Herpetology.