Eastern Box
Turtle
Terrapene carolina
Our Ambassadors
:
Reflection Riding Arboretum and Nature
Center houses four eastern box turtles,
three females and one male.
One of the females arrived in 2001 with
a cracked shell, making it impossible for
her to utilize a box turtle’s best defense
against predators, which is closing the
shell completely.
The second female arrived in the summer of 2010 from a local veterinarian after suffering a leg
amputation due to a possible lawn mower or weed eater encounter. The third female arrived in the fall
of 2010 after needing her front left leg amputated.
The male, obtained from a local veterinarian in summer 2010, is easily identified by his silver
splotched back. While he was kept illegally as a pet, his owners painted him silver and released him
into the wild. He was later found with a missing leg. The box turtles receive a mix of fruit, vegetables,
and bugs twice a week during the spring and summer months.
PLEASE NOTE: Any reptile which has been held in captivity for more than 90 days can harbor
pathogens that could negatively impact wild populations if released.
Size:
4 - 8.5 inches
Appearance:
Bridgeless, bilobed, hinged
plastron which allows the turtle
to close the shell almost
completely. High domed,
rounded carapace.
Markings are highly variable,
but usually the carapace is
dark brown or black with
yellow lines, spots or blotches;
plastron is light tan to dark
brown, yellow, orange or olive
with some dark markings.
Males generally have bright
orange or red eyes, and are
brighter overall; they can also
be identified by their concave plastron, which makes it easier to mount a female which has a flat
plastron.
Habitat:
Open woodlands, meadows, marshy meadows. Often found near water
Eating Habits
:
The turtle is omnivorous and eats snails, insects, berries, fungi, slugs, worms, roots, flowers, fish,
frogs, salamanders, snakes, birds, eggs, and carrion.
Juveniles are primarily carnivorous while they grow during their first 5 - 6 years. Adults tend to be
mostly herbivorous, but they eat no green leaves.
Reproduction:
They nest May - July and lay a single clutch of 3 - 8 elliptical shaped eggs in a flask- shaped cavity in
the ground. Hatchlings sometimes over-winter in the nest.
They become sexually mature at 5 - 7 years. Females are capable of storing sperm and can produce
fertile eggs several years after a single mating.
Life Span:
Average 40 years; known to live up to 100 years!
Interesting Facts:
• Box turtles have a homing instinct which causes them to return to the place of their birth. If they are
moved from one habitat to another, they will spend the rest of their lives trying to go back to
their original habitat. Do not remove a box turtle from the wild! If you see one crossing the
road, place him safely on the side of the road in the direction he was going, and leave him
there.
• A box turtle’s shell is not completely hardened until it is 7 years old.
• The age of a box turtle can be approximated by counting the rings on the scutes, which are located
on the top of the shell. After about 20 years, the growth rings will start to disappear, making it
difficult to get an accurate estimate on age. • The Eastern Box Turtle was named Tennessee’s official state reptile in 1995.
Resources:
• Animal Diversity: Box Turtle
• Center for North American Herpetology