The Blanding's turtle is characterized by its dark dome shaped upper shell, also known as the carapace, and its distinct bright yellow neck. The dark shell of the turtle is often scattered with yellow specks. The Blanding’s turtle is commonly referred to as a semi-box turtle due to its bottom shell, known as the plastron, which is hinged across the front third. The hinge going across the shell allows the turtle to pull the front of the plastron strongly against the top half of the shell helping it to hide when threatened.