Do you know how to find out the age of an Eastern box turtle?

You could ask her, noted Don Lewis, who is probably better known in this area as "The Turtle Guy."

"But turtles can't talk!" a little voice exclaimed as a group of children from Little People's College edged closer to Lewis.

In that case, a much more effective way to determine a box turtle's age, Lewis said, is to count the growth rings on her shell.

Donning a white "I [heart] Turtles" T-shirt, Lewis sat on the ground at the Great Neck Wildlife Sanctuary on Friday, holding a confused turtle as she attempted to crawl through the air.

That particular turtle — an Indian Neck resident — is approximately 11 years old, the children determined. The group was later amazed to learn that Eastern box turtles can live to be upwards of 100 years old.

It was the culmination of the Wareham Land Trust's and Mass Audubon Allens Pond Wildlife Sanctuary's series of free Friday nature walks.

The Turtle Guy, a Marion resident who also serves as executive director of the Massachusetts Association of Conservation Districts, was invited to lead the walkers through the Great Neck sanctuary on a search for his reptilian friends.

"He's a great friend of the sanctuary," Jennifer Costa, Volunteer and Outreach Programs Administrator for the Allens Pond Wildlife Sanctuary, said of Lewis.

Meanwhile, The Turtle Guy gave the group of children and equally-interested adults a lesson in Eastern box turtle anatomy.

"It's just like a box, see?" Lewis told the group as he pointed to the turtle's shell, which completely enclosed the turtle's body. "It all disappears."

"Whoa! The bottom of its shell moves!" another little voice rang out.

Because turtles tend to enjoy drizzly weather more than Friday's sun, Lewis brought the Indian Neck turtle and a few recently-hatched, rescued diamondback terrapin turtles to show off in the event that their Great Neck cousins preferred to nestle under the pine needles.

The turtles indeed preferred to nestle, but the nature-walkers, enthralled with The Turtle Guy's vast knowledge of the area's turtle population, didn't seem to mind.

Miss the Land Trust's and Mass Audubon's walk? The organizations will host a Full Moon Family Walk on Friday, August 31, from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the Great Neck Wildlife Sanctuary. The cost is $4 for members, $6 for non-members. For more information or to register, call 508-636-2437 or click here.

Want to learn more about The Turtle Guy? Visit Don Lewis' blog, www.turtlejournal.com!