"DrLith" wrote

Most likely a box turtle of some sort, which are the most common land
turtles in the U.S. (Note--these are actually turtles and not tortoises,
though they are land-dwelling.) Eastern box turtles have a dome-shaped
black and yellow/orange shell and prefer woodland environments. Western
box turtles are somewhat similar looking but a bit smaller, and prefer
grasslands environments.


http://www.fcps.k12.va.us/StratfordL...box_turtle.htm

They have a hinged shell that allows them to close it up completely if
they're threatened.

We have a pet box turtle that is inordinately fond of melons. The good
news is that they're also quite fond of slugs! As others have noted,
they can't really climb and are not all that persistant for the most part.

Yes, this turtle can close itself up in the shell completely.