While recently hiking along a swampy inlet along the Cahaba River in Birmingham, Alabama, I came across these deceased Eastern Box Turtle (Terrapene carolina carolina).
Something had damaged his shell quite badly, along the rear right quarter. But he, nevertheless, crawled to a peaceful place along the water to shuffle off his mortal coil.
And by the time I saw him, he was being relegated to his place on the food chain, as can be attested to by the fly seen resting atop his shell.
