Terrapene carolina carolina
Eastern Box Turtle
Class: Reptilia. Order: Testudines. Family: Emydidae.
Other names:
Physical Description: A “land turtle” with a high-domed and keeled
carapace, or top shell, and extremely variable coloration and
patterns. Both upper and lower shells may be yellow, orange, or
olive on black or brown; either light or dark colors may predominate. As in all box turtles the plastron, or
bottom shell, is hinged in the front and is often as long as, or longer than, the carapace, and has movable
hinges which allow the lower shell to close tightly against the carapace. In many individuals, not even a
knife blade can be inserted between them. Males usually have red eyes and a concave plastron, whereas
females have yellowish-brown eyes and have flat or slightly convex plastrons. Eastern box turtles have four
toes on their hind feet. As adults they measure 4-8½” in length, and weigh 1-2 pounds.
One of the most unique features of turtles and tortoises is their protective shell. Because of the shell,
flight, running, and climbing are not evolutionary options! But some adaptive radiation occurs within the
order. Turtles and tortoises inhabit marshes, lakes, rivers and the open sea, as well as forests, grasslands
and deserts. The top shell is called the carapace and the bottom shell the plastron. The carapace develops
from a layer of skin and the backbone and ribs are fused to the carapace. The plastron is developed from
the bones of the shoulder girdle. The shell is so successful that it is the cornerstone of turtle design and
lends to the lineage’s longevity while at the same time limiting species diversity.
Diet in the Wild: Box turtles are omnivorous, feeding on any plant, insect, fruit, worm, and grub they can
find. Types of food eaten include slugs, snails, earthworms, crayfish, spiders, millipedes, frogs,
salamanders, lizards, snakes, small mammals, wild berries, fruit and mushrooms (both poisonous and nonpoisonous), insects, carrion. Young box turtles are primarily carnivorous, becoming more herbivorous with
age.
Diet at the Zoo: Turtle diet, apple sweet potato, mealworms, grapes, carrots, pinkie mice, crickets,
romaine, earthworms.
Habitat & Range: Moist forested areas, wet meadows, pastures, and floodplains. Found from southern
Maine, south to Georgia, west to Michigan, Illinois and Tennessee. During hot, dry weather they take
refuge under rotten logs, in mud, in abandoned burrows, or in masses of decaying organic matter.
Life Span: Average life span in the wild is 25-30 years, but may live up to 50 years. Some individuals have
been thought to live more than 100 years, but this has not been well documented.
Perils in the wild: The automobile takes its toll each year as the slow-moving turtle attempts to creep
across busy streets, highways, and railroad tracks. The biggest peril is from habitat destruction and/or
fragmentation (which is defined as habitats separated by human land usage) causing small, isolated
populations that sometimes suffer from inbreeding. The pet trade has also affected the turtle population.
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Physical Adaptations:
Box turtles can close the plastron so tightly that they can completely protect their head and front
legs.
Box turtles have short legs and stout feet for walking and digging for food and to create burrows for
protection and egg laying.
Thick scales on the head and limbs provide protection from injury while on the go.
Sharp beak-like mouth aids in grasping and tearing vegetation and other food sources.
Camouflaged carapace helps box turtles avoid detection by possible predators.
Behavioral Adaptations:
Box turtles are generally solitary and show no parental protection.
Box turtles are diurnal and scoop out a shallow indentation in the ground in which to spend the
night.
In the northern regions of their range, box turtles will hibernate from October or November until
April. However, farther South, they will remain active until later in the year. To hibernate, they
create burrows, up to two-feet deep, in loose earth, mud, stream bottoms, stump holes, or mammal
burrows. They may return to the same place to hibernate each year, and sometimes more than one
turtle may hibernate in the same hibernacula. Occasionally, on warm winter days, they will wake up
and leave the hibernacula.
Reproduction and Development:
A female can lay fertile eggs up to 4 years after a successful mating. This is a fortuitous ability given
that males of the species sometimes fall on their backs following mating and cannot get enough
leverage to right themselves, resulting in their death.
Females lay three to eight elliptical, white, thin-shelled eggs, averaging about 1 and 3/8” in length,
in 3-4” deep flask-shaped nests.
Box turtles have a low reproductive rate because females do not reach sexual maturity until 7-10
years old and they lay only 3-5 eggs per year.
Young, small box turtles are very secretive and are rarely seen in the wild.
It is estimated that over a lifetime of reproduction only a handful of offspring ever reach sexual
maturity.
Young box turtles grow ½ to ¾ of an inch yearly for about five or six years (after which they are
sexually mature), then grow about ¼” a year until they reach their adult size at about twenty years
of age.
Additional Information:
Although essentially terrestrial, these turtles sometimes soak themselves for hours in mud or water.
During the warmest months of the year, box turtles are active mostly in the morning and evening,
but a sudden summer shower will bring them out of hiding. Even though they superficially
resemble the gopher tortoise, they are more closely related to some of the water turtles.
There is no question that these benign, gentle, quiet creatures have played an integral role in
human cultures throughout time. Basically seen as protectors, symbols of strength and endurance,
good luck and long life, it is a tragic and sad commentary that those of us alive today will see the
demise of many species of these ancient travelers from another time.
New York Indians are responsible for eliminating this turtle from much of the area between Ohio
and New England. They ate box turtle meat, used the shells for ceremonial rattles, and buried
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turtles with the dead. A few specimens are known to have lived more than 140 years, having served
as “living records,” with fathers and then sons carving their names or other family records on the
shell. If habitat conditions remain constant, a box turtle may spend its entire life in an area about
the size of a football field.
Because box turtles sometimes consume mushrooms which are poisonous to man, death could
result if their flesh is eaten. Otherwise, they are benign.
Conservation Status: (IUCN Status)
The IUCN has assessed the box turtle as “Vulnerable” (VU) – High risk of endangerment in the wild. The box
turtle has been listed as “Species of Concern” in the State of Ohio and as a “Special Concern” in Indiana and
Michigan.
Conservation Efforts:
Habitat fragmentation is a major problem for box turtle populations. As habitat shrinks the animals are put
in harms way due to human activity. In the wild they do not have a wary nature and will not hide from
man, as some fresh water species do.
Crossing roads is dangerous for box turtles, which are frequently hit by cars. Being injured by lawn
mowers, farm machinery, and people’s pets are all threats to the slow moving turtle. Habitat loss also
reduces food availability for the turtles and may contribute to breeding problems such as inbreeding and
the inability to find a mate.
Collection of wild animals for pets is also a problem for box turtles. Several studies have indicated that
thousands of animals are collected each year, causing wild populations to decline. Several states, including
Indiana, have enacted laws protecting turtles from collection of animals and eggs, or harming them in any
way.
Glossary: List of definitions of the most important recurrent technical terms used in the text.
Carapace - The top shell of a turtle. The carapace develops from a layer of skin and the backbone and ribs
are fused to the carapace.
Diurnal – Active during daytime hours.
Omnivorous - Feeding on both plants and animals.
Plastron - The lower shell of a turtle, developed from the bones of the shoulder girdle.
Scute - Any enlarged scale on a reptile; sometimes called a “plate”.
Vulnerable (VU) – IUCN status which defines a “High risk of endangerment in the wild”.
Sources:
Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Gardens
http://www.rightpet.com/ReptileDetail/eastern-box-turtle
http://www.dnr.state.oh.us/Home/resources/reptiles/reptiles/tabid/5684/Default.aspx
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Hickman, C.P. Roberts, L.S. 1994. Biology of Animals
Halliday, T. Adler, K. 1986. The Encyclopedia of Reptiles and Amphibians.
http://www.iucnredlist.org/details/21641/0
http://www.lpzoo.org/animals/factsheet/eastern-box-turtle
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