The Accokeek Foundation Visitor Center reopened earlier this month with a brand new look and a brand new turtle. Edgar is a one-and-a-half pound Eastern Box Turtle (Terrapene carolina) with red feet and a friendly disposition.
Edgar is the Visitor Center's new Eastern Box Turtle.
We estimate Edgar to be around 20 years old with quite a long life ahead of him. Indeed, box turtles can live to be over 100! These omnivorous reptiles are native to North America and live in open woodlands, pastures, and marshy meadows.
Box turtles like Edgar can close their shells almost completely.
Box turtles spend much of their lives less than a quarter-mile from the nests in which they were born. While box turtles shouldn’t be removed from their homes or even relocated from one spot to another, Edgar was taken from the wild at such an early age that he would be unable to survive if returned to his natural habitat. So, we’ve adopted him and given him a comfortable home in the Visitor Center’s Discovery Corner.
Come and meet Edgar during the Visitor Center’s operating hours: Tuesday through Sunday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.