Ambassador since 2008
Terrapene ornata
- Ornate box turtles are native to certain areas of Illinois, though not Kane County. In 2009, due to a declining wild population, they were declared a State Threatened Species. In accordance with conservation laws, Samsonite is listed on the Park District’s Endangered & Threatened Species permit issued by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources.
- Like other male box turtles, Samsonite’s eyes are bright red. Other indications of his gender are his convex plastron (lower shell) and longish, thickened tail.
- Samsonite arrived in the Park District’s naturalist department after being kept as a pet. His prior owners found him wandering in their St. Charles neighborhood and kept him as a pet for 10 years before donating him for use as an education animal.