Eastern Box Turtle
Terrapene carolina
Class
Reptilia
Order
Chelonia
Family
Emydidae
Eastern Box Turtle
Range
Most of eastern and southern United States
Size
Carapace 4.5 - 6 in
Habitat
Open woodlands, pastures, and marshy meadows
Young
Clutch: 2 - 8 eggs
Incubation: 2 - 3 months
Diet
Plants, fungi, smaller animals, and carrion
IUCN Status
Vulnerable
Box turtles can completely withdraw their head, legs and tail within the shell to protect themselves from predators.
All box turtles have a distinctive hinged, bilobed plastron (the dark brown lower shell), which enables them to fully enclose their bodies when threatened.
Reproduction
Male box turtles have red eyes and females have brown eyes. Two to eight white eggs are laid in the spring or summer. Young turtles hatch in two to three months; however, some clutches laid in summer may not hatch until the following spring.
Status
Box turtles face threats from the pet trade and habitat loss.
Our Animals
Speedy Hatched 2004
How You Can Help
Go Wild. Avoid aggressive lawn maintenance. Leave a patch of your yard wild, with leaf litter, brush piles, or old logs. This provides shelter, a place to forage for food (slugs and insects), and a place to hibernate safely.
Provide Water. In hot, dry weather, a shallow dish of water sunk into the ground provides a crucial spot for them to drink and cool off.
Never Relocate. Don't take a turtle to a "better place" miles away (like a park or pond). They have a strong homing instinct, and if moved, they will spend the rest of their lives desperately trying to get back to their small home range.