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State Symbols
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Official state symbols represent the cultural heritage
and natural treasures of each state or the entire United States |
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Kansas Symbols
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Kansas State Reptile
Ornate Box Turtle
(Terrapene ornata)
Adopted in 1986.
The Ornate Box Turtle, Terrapene ornata, was adopted in 1986 as the Kansas State Reptile.
KSA 73-1901 Designation. The Terrapene ornata, Agassiz (ornate box turtle) is hereby designated as and declared to be the official reptile of the state of Kansas.
History: L. 1986, ch. 277, sec. 1; July 1.
Description
Small (up to 13 cm CL) turtle with dark brown carapace, yellow midback stripe and yellow lines radiating from center of each scute (6-8 lines per pleural scute). Plastron patterned with yellow lines on dark scutes. Head sometimes spotted. Male differs from female by having slightly concave plastron and red rather than brown eyes. Hatchling resembles adult, but yellow markings are more like spots than lines.
Habitat
Prairies (other than black muck prairie) and open fields in former prairie.
Natural History
Tends to be more carnivorous than eastern box turtle, but eats some vegetation. Eats mainly insects, but also snails, earthworms, tadpoles, bird eggs and hatchlings, and carrion. Female lays one or more clutches of 4-6 ellipsoidal, relatively hard-shelled eggs (ca. 35 x 20 mm) in June. Hibernates about two weeks earlier than eastern box turtle, and emerges in spring about two weeks later.
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State Symbols
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State symbols represent things that are special to a
particular state.
symbol \ˈsim-bəl\
noun
Etymology:
in sense 1, from Late Latin symbolum, from Late Greek symbolon, from Greek, token, sign; in
other senses from Latin symbolum token, sign, symbol, from Greek symbolon, literally, token
of identity verified by comparing its other half, from symballein to throw together,
compare, from syn- + ballein to throw — more at devil
Date: 15th century
1: Something that represents something else by association, resemblance, or
convention, especially a material object used to represent something invisible.
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