Picture a warm muggy morning around six a.m.before the summer sun has had a chance to dry the heavy dew covering the grass and leaf litter of the pitch pine woods. Out of the corner of my eye I catch sight of an animal form moving ever so slowly, staring at something close by. It is a box turtle (Terrapene carolina carolina) hunting for its breakfast. Without moving any closer, I scan the vicinity of the box turtle to see if I can find its quarry. The box turtle moves and the chase is on as it goes after its prey -- a slug.

Nature is full of life and death; television and the print media give us a close look at the delicate relationship that exists between predator and prey. Choose your favorite dramatic moment: a cheetah chasing down a gazelle, a peregrine falcon swooping on a black duck, or a great white shark snaring an elephant seal pup. To me, there is nothing like a box turtle on the hunt. Right before your eyes is the chase, the capture, and dinner -- no need for slow-motion cameras, reverse angle shots or underwater housing. I've seen it dozens of times, and it's still the greatest show on earth.

In the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, the box turtle is listed as a species of special concern because its numbers are decreasing. Scientists are unsure why. In general, turtles are declining for a variety of reasons - loss of nesting habitat, filling of wetlands, automobiles, people taking them for pets. Of the fourteen reptiles in Massachusetts that are on the state and federal endangered species lists, twelve are turtles. In other words, twelve of the turtle species in this state could become extinct within our lifetime.

Box turtles are the most terrestrial of all the turtles in Massachusetts; therefore, most people assume that they are related to tortoises. In reality, box turtles are most closely related to the wood turtle and the Blanding's turtle. There are four subspecies of box turtle along the East Coast. Our local box turtles are probably a mixture of introduced subspecies and that may account for some of the decline, as the genetic stock of the original species has been weakened.

Box turtles can be found in a variety of habitats, mostly in upland areas. On Cape Cod, box turtles are still locally common. More box turtles can be found here than anywhere else in Massachusetts. For the past 18 years, box turtles have been the subject of research at Massachusetts Audubon's Wellfleet Bay Sanctuary. Studies have found that box turtle densities range from seven to nine individuals per acre, and that seems to be the case in one of our study areas at Wellfleet Bay.

An adult box turtle is easily recognized by its high-domed shell, which is usually a brightly-marked orange, yellow and brown carapace, and the ability to completely withdraw into its shell and close the 'door" or plastron. Sometimes in late summer if hunting has been good, a box turtle may get so fat that it isn't able to completely withdraw into its shell.

Box turtles are ectothermic (cold-blooded), becoming active only when spring temperatures are sufficiently warm. By April box turtles are usually out on a daily basis.A box turtle's day begins very early, at first light or as soon as the air is warm enough. Its first priority is foraging for food which can consist of a wide assortment of berries, mushrooms, worms, insects and other leaf litter invertebrates. Around Wellfleet Bay, the preferred food seems to be slugs. Nearly all box turtles we find have slug remains on their lips. By mid-day the box turtle moves to a resting place. It may use four or five resting places consistently throughout the season. These resting dens are called forms, because they resemble the shape of the turtle. The forms are usually located under a bush, in some tangle, or under a fallen branch. Box turtles sometimes become active again later in the day, and then return to another form for the night. Box turtles are most active after rains or when there is heavy dew early in the morning -- all the better for catching slugs.

Aging a box turtle can be accomplished by counting the growth rings found on the plastron scales much the same way as one counts tree rings. This works to some degree but may not be that accurate after five years of age. Our sanctuary population of box turtles ranges in age from less than one year old to approximately thirty-five. Most of our turtles are between the ages of eighteen and twenty-five. Box turtles have been kept in captivity for long periods of time.

Males can be distinguished from females fairly easily. The male has reddish eyes, a concave plastron, its vent is located more than halfway out on the tail, and its hind legs are heavier and have short stout claws. The female has light brown eyes, a flat plastron, and its vent is located close to the edge of the plastron.

Mating can take place any month the turtles are active. Egg laying takes place in June and July in open, sandy patches along road edges, trails or newly excavated areas. Three to eight eggs are laid, with an incubation period of 85-90 days. Hatching occurs in late August and September, but hatchlings can overwinter in the nest. It is very rare to find hatchlings; presumably, they head to the woods and spend their first several years under the leaf litter.

Box turtles have a very limited home range. Young individuals travel no more than 150 feet during their early years. As they get older, they really get adventuresome and can extend their range to 750 feet. Box turtles evidence an extreme desire to return home; their homing ability is well documented. For this reason, a box turtle should never be taken far from where it is found. If you find one in the road, move it off the road in the direction it is traveling -- not to the next town. If you remove it far away into some conservation area where you think it will be safer, it will try to return to where you found it. This is usually a fatal exercise.

Because box turtles have such a limited home range, it's possible to find the same individual year after year. At Wellfleet Bay we have marked more than 270 individual turtles, many of which are seen annually. Sometimes the same turtle is found virtually on the same day, in the same place year after year. On the other hand, there are turtles we never see again. This, too, is consistent with current knowledge of box turtle biology. Within the world of the box turtles there seem to be roamers, turtles that just travel "through" existing populations. It is thought that these turtles are critically important in maintaining genetic viability. Our civilization, with its multitude of roads and automobiles, may be weakening the races of box turtles by preventing roamers from interacting with more sedentary populations. Wildlife corridors are very important to the interchange of species and genetic viability.

Box turtles hibernate in leaf litter in upland areas. They start off only a couple of inches down but as it gets colder, they dig deeper and deeper and eventually come to rest 4" to 6" into the soil under a blanket of leaves. They remain dormant until the warmth of spring penetrates deep into the soil. Older, larger turtles are the last to brumate and the first to wake each spring.

Box turtles and the habitat they need are not protected at all. Next time you see a turtle crossing the road, slow down, and help it cross to the other side. At your next town meeting or open space meeting, if the opportunity arises to purchase open space land or wildlife corridors, think of our roaming box turtles and vote to buy the land. Before it's too late, let's work to save our box turtles -- slug hunters extraordinaire.