{"id":22956,"date":"2023-04-08T10:57:00","date_gmt":"2023-04-08T15:57:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.altonmo.com\/?p=22956"},"modified":"2023-04-06T13:53:53","modified_gmt":"2023-04-06T18:53:53","slug":"its-that-time-of-year-again-turtle-crossing-season","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.altonmo.com\/lifestyle\/outdoor-living\/its-that-time-of-year-again-turtle-crossing-season-20230408","title":{"rendered":"It’s That Time Of Year Again- Turtle Crossing Season!"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

You do not live in the area long before you realize that spring is the turtle-crossing season. [1]<\/sup><\/a>The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) reminds motorists to give turtles a break this spring. During the warmer months, these reptiles are often hit by cars, but the activity they exhibit this time of year puts them at a greater risk.<\/p>\n

Why Are The Turtles Out?<\/h3>\n

When warm and wet conditions prevail, turtles emerge from their burrows and hunt for food and mates, resulting in their crossing of roadways. Vehicles kill thousands of box turtles each year. Most travelers are young males, some wandering as far as six miles searching for territories and mates. As females search for nesting areas, they cross roads as well.<\/span><\/p>\n

It is important to note that turtles are cold-blooded and rely on external heat sources to maintain their body temperatures. For this reason, people see them on warm asphalt during the cool spring months.<\/p>\n

Additionally, the three-toed box turtle, ornate box turtle, and snapping turtle are among the turtles frequently observed crossing Missouri road<\/p>\n

Box Turtle Numbers<\/h3>\n

Among the top threats to box turtles in Missouri are vehicles, and if motorists see a turtle on the road, they should be cautious and slow down.<\/p>\n

Furthermore, MDC encourages the public to leave turtles alone. Animals taken from the wild and kept as pets normally die slowly, whether they are turtles or other wildlife species. Be sure to follow the speed limit, leave turtles in the wild, and always keep your eyes on the road.<\/p>\n

Notes:<\/h4>
  1. ^<\/a>{{MDC says slow down<\/a> and give turtles a brake!}}, } (go back  ↩)<\/a><\/li><\/ol><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) reminds motorists to give turtles a break this spring, the turtle-crossing season.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":6898,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[192],"tags":[243,241,201,264,205,263],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.altonmo.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22956"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.altonmo.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.altonmo.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.altonmo.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.altonmo.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=22956"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/www.altonmo.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22956\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":22982,"href":"https:\/\/www.altonmo.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22956\/revisions\/22982"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.altonmo.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6898"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.altonmo.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=22956"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.altonmo.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=22956"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.altonmo.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=22956"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}