Eastern Box Turtle

  Terrapene carolina carolina

New World box turtles belong to the genus Terrapene and to a large degree resemble tortoises.  They have carapaces (shells) that are prominently arched and these animals are terrestrial.  However, a close examination of their feet discloses remnant webbing between the toes.  They also prefer damper areas than most tortoises and in particular will inhabit those areas in proximity to water.  Box turtles are so named because they are able to withdraw into their shells and to close their openings to make themselves fairly invulnerable.  They are able to do this since they have a hinge across the middle of their plastron (bottom shell), which allows the front and back portions of their plastrons to fold upwards as the animal withdraws its body and to tightly close the openings.  The Common Eastern carapace can be four to six inches long.   The skin of the turtle is brown and the males have colorful scales on the front legs.  This species is found from Maine to Georgia and westward to Michigan, Illinois and Tennessee.

There are six species of box turtles and several subspecies within some of these species.  They are omnivorous.  In the wild more than half of their diet is insects, and other small animals including: slugs, snails, worms, grubs, caterpillars, beetles, pill bugs, sow bugs, centipedes, crickets, grasshoppers, spiders, flies, crawfish and carrion. If they can catch it, they will eat it.  The rest of their food is plant matter; mushrooms, moss, berries, fruits, grass, buds and flowers.  Life span can be twenty-five to one hundred years.

   Three-Toed Box Turtle

   Terrapene carolina triunguis