Yucatán Box Turtle (Terrapene yucatana)

This enigmatic creature, endemic to Mexico’s Yucatan peninsula, is barely known to scientists. We are working closely with partners and principal investigators at the Smithsonian Institute for Conservation Biology, the Autonomous University at Puebla (Mexico), Millsaps College, and local Mayan communities in Yucatán and Campeche to conduct the first scientific study of this species. Our studies are designed to evaluate its distribution, habitat requirements, movement patterns, and conservation status of this disjunct temperate lineage.