Lincoln Park Zoo

Common name: Eastern box turtle
Latin Name: Terrapene carolina

Class: Reptiles & Amphibians
Order:    Testudinata

Description
Length: 4.5 inches. Weight: 1-2 pounds. Females larger than males. Carapace (top shell) brown with yellow markings; plastron (bottom shell) lighter, with hinge one-third of the way back. Males have red eyes; females have yellow-brown eyes. Shell of juveniles is not hard until approximately the sixth year. During this period, they hide much of the time.

Range
Eastern United States.

Habitat
Usually found in the underbrush of the temperate forest or among the open fields associated with marshes.

Niche
Generally omnivorous: prefers green vegetation, mushrooms, snails, earthworms and grasshoppers. Juveniles are more carnivorous than adults. Solitary, diurnal and terrestrial. During winter they dig or burrow beneath the frost line and hibernate.

Life History
Females lay their eggs in late spring-early summer. They can be fertile up to 4 years after mating. Between 2-7 eggs hatch after 12-13 weeks under normal climate conditions. The hatchlings are precocial. Life span 25+ years. Turtles as a group are quite long-lived.

2

Special Adaptations

  • Bony shell covered with scales provides protection from predators and injury.
  • Hinged plastron allows for complete shell closure.
  • Thick scales on head and limbs protect against injury.
  • Sharp beak acts like shears for slicing vegetation.
  • Long claws aid in crawling through the underbrush and digging nest holes or winter shelter.
  • Column-like legs support body weight while walking; shell bottom supports body at rest.
  • Camouflage coloration prevents detection by possible predators.
  • Long, flexible skin on the "turtleneck" allows head to stretch out or tuck in. Neck vertebrae form an "S" shape to pull head in, straighten to push head out.