I was out with Sophie today (My Black Lab) and she caught another Box Turtle.She is a turtle catchin fiend and every trip I have to forcibly extricate box turtles from her jaw and then distract her from the turtle while I set it down and walk rapidly away.Well today we were along Snow Hill road in bevan WMA where Gravelly Run crosses the road and she snatched a Boxie at roadside.I hollered at her in my meanest voice DROP IT! Well she did but by the time she did she was in mid creek and the water is about 2.5 ft deep there and is clear with that awesome red cedar tint that makes it look like tea.Now I was in a jam.I could let the turtle lay there and see what happened or I could remove cell,wallet and shoes and wade in and get it.I have seen turtles walk across the bottoms of creeks in the past and knew their breath holding abilities far surpass mine ,even boxies.Well I elected to stay and watch.I couldn't imagine the turtle drowning without attempting to swim and if it looked to have problems I would go into rescue mode.For three minutes the turtle sat on the bottom and did not move.I would already be dead in the same situation.It then opened up and immediately tried to walk upstream in the fastest current pouring out of a culvert.This was a no go so the turtle tacked left and in two feet was out of the current.He walked over to where a concrete block made a wall to him about 6 inches high.He could not climb it but he could get up just high enough to get his head out of the water.At this point I heard a sound that sound like air being released out of a stretched baloon.I"m sure we all did this as a kid.makes a squeal.This was a split second squeal.He immediately floated to the surface and started to swim down the wall till he hit a sloping dirt ramp at the end of it and crawled out onto dry land.I can only assume he sucked in air and filled his lungs and this floated him.I always wondered how Boxies crossed large rivers like say the Maurice or Mullica.Thats a long walk across bottom and walk they do,They do not seem to be able to swim under water.This could be the answer.Inflate and swim across.I have never seen a Boxie swim till today.As soon as he hauled out I left before Sophie found him and repeated the stunt.
