Eastern Box Turtle

Eastern box turtles are one of four subspecies of box turtles occurring in the eastern United States. They are terrestrial, long-lived and slow in reproducing. They derived their name from being able to box up completely inside their shell when alarmed.

Scientific Classification
Quick Information


Kingdom	Animalia
Phylum	Chordata
Subphylum	Vertebrata
Class	Reptilia
Order	Testudines
Family	Emydidae
Genus	Terrapene
Species	Terrapene carolina
Scientific Name	Terrapene carolina carolina


Other Names	Box Turtle
Size	4.5 to 6 in; largest specimen recorded is 7.8 in
Weight	1 – 2 lbs
Color	Generally brownish or black carapace with yellowish or orangish scattered lines, spots or blotches; usually brown or black skin color with some orange, red, yellow or white spots or irregular lines; some male specimens may have blue blotches on the cheeks, throat and front legs; males generally have red eyes whereas females usually have brown eyes
Distribution	Southern Maine, eastern region of the Michigan Upper Peninsula, southern Florida, eastern Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, Ohio, Indiana
Habitat	Deciduous or mixed forested regions with moist forest floor, bottomland, pastures, open grasslands, under fallen logs or in moist ground
Diet	Earthworms, snails, grubs, beetles, slugs, caterpillars, fallen fruit, berries, mushrooms, grasses, flowers, bread, duck weed, carrion
Hibernation Fact	Hibernates during winter months
Predators	Babies fall prey to coyotes, raccoons, wild pigs, turkeys, skunks, fox, weasels, possums, birds, snakes, cats, dogs, chickens, other Box Turtles
Breeding Season	May – October
Mode of Reproduction	Oviparous (egg laying)
Clutch Size	Around 4 eggs
Incubation Period	Around 70 days
Reproductive Age	7 to 10 years of age
Average Lifespan	In Wild: 30 to 40 years In captivity : More than 100 years
IUCN Conservation Status	Vulnerable