Turtle Crossing

The tortoise wins the race with the hare, but in contests with cars, turtles always lose.
The Missouri Department of Conservation encourages you to discover nature and observe turtles on the road.
When driving, you may have noticed box turtles sharing the pavement. Spring rains and warm weather makes this the season box turtles wander.
Turtles are moving around this time of year because they are looking for mates and establishing home ranges.
Like other reptiles, turtles are cold blooded.
So walking on warm asphalt and basking in the sun probably feels good on cooler spring days.
Box turtles commonly live to be thirty years old.
They spend their quite lives eating plants, earthworms and insects.
A hinged lower shell allows these reptiles to completely encase their head and legs, protecting themselves from most natural enemies.
But autos needlessly kill thousands of turtles each ear, probably the biggest cause of death.
Give turtles a break! When out driving, be alert to avoid hitting these innocent travelers.