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State Symbols

The official state symbols represent the cultural heritage and natural treasures of each state or the entire United States

Kansas Symbols

Kansas Symbols

Amphibian, Animal, Banner, Bird, Flag, Flower, Floral Emblem, Insect, March, March, Motto, Nicknames, Reptile, Seal, Soil, Song, Tree

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.

State Symbols

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.