The Eastern Box Turtle slogged its merry way through the General Assembly this year only to die a disrespectful death in the House chamber.
Del. Frank D. Hargrove Sr., R-Hanover, was confounded by the notion of enshrining a species as the state reptile that at the first indication of fear retreats into its shell.
"I don't know why in the world we need a state reptile," he said on the House floor yesterday before the measure died 28-69.
At the request of a constituent from Vienna, Sen. Chap Petersen, D-Fairfax City, proposed making the box turtle, which lives in the wooded swamps and grassy fields of Virginia and throughout the eastern United States, the state reptile.
The House preferred to make it road kill.
Del. Robert B. Bell, R-Albemarle, piled on, saying box turtles "are extremely long lived, slow to mature and have relatively few offspring each year -- which means it's consistent with members of this body -- along with a propensity to get hit by cars."
It didn't help that the turtle's scientific name is Terrapene carolina and that neighboring North Carolina has adopted it as its state reptile. The House has been unkind to the happy-go-lucky insect-eaters in that past for that very reason, and this year was no different.
Petersen took the news of the death well.
"Well, he's got a tough shell," he said, "so he can take it."
Contact Olympia Meola at (804) 649-6812 or omeola@timesdispatch.com.
Staff writer Jim Nolan contributed to this report.
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