My eyes! No, wait—their eyes. Seriously, look at their eyes.
The Indiana Department of Natural Resources has it that “Eastern box turtles are typically active from April to October.” If that’s so, the pair pictured above knows time is limited and is making the most of it. Indiana Parks and Reservoirs posted a photo to its Facebook page on Sept. 20 that got more shares (54) than the usual Hoosier-state fauna-centric dispatch might catalyze—and you can see why.
As the Facebook post has it, “How often does anyone get to observe eastern box turtles mating? Rarely! Hardy Lake interpretive naturalist Leslie Grow found her two captive box turtles mating yesterday. Part of the reason male box turtles have a concave plastron (bottom shell) is the positioning seen here.” How convenient.
The Indiana DNR actually has a social-media commenting policy, and it includes a note that “posts that may be removed include … nudity.” Obviously turtle-on-turtle action abides outside that rule, and we are all better for that.
Comments on the reptilian exhibitionists’ post ranged from “She looks unimpressed” to “So how does the male turtle get back on his tummy when he’s done?” My favorite, though, goes like this: “Always wondered how that worked—now I can sleep at night.” I’m with her.
Photo via Indiana State Parks and Reservoirs. Follow on Facebook here.
