Eastern Box Turtle (Terrapene carolina carolina)

Click here to learn more about the Eastern Box Turtle on the WildWNC site.

I encountered this specimen one morning on my way down the driveway to fetch the fishwrap.
 It appeared to me that he was about to dine on the capsized beetle in front of him,
but when I returned, the turtle was gone into the forest and the beetle was still there.

A view of his right rear quarter reveals a gap where his leg should be.  Poor chap lost a leg somewhere along the way.

Not sure why these turtles show up when I'm on my way down the driveway to fetch the fishwrap.
This very active little fellow was crossing the driveway at its lowest point,
where the roadside ditch passes under the driveway through a concrete conduit.
Not wanting to dislocate it too much, I photographed it, and released it near the pond behind us,
if it didn't like those surroundings, it was only a 100 meters away from where I picked it up.