This turtle is a Gulf Coast box turtle (Genus Tarrapene). The name comes from the hinges in the shell or carapace. These hinges enable the turtle to close the front and rear of its shell like a box protecting the soft parts of their bodies inside. Box turtles in New England are extremely variable in shell shape and pattern. They live in edges of open woodlands, and old agricultural fields. In winter they burrow into soft, well-drained soil to hibernate. They are diurnal in the summer, active in the cool mornings and evenings, but resting during the hot part of the day under leaves or soil to stay cool.