Eastern Box Turtle - Terrapene carolina
Habitat:
moist forested areas, wet meadows, pastures, and floodplains
Range:
along the entire east coast from Massachusetts to Florida
Activity Cycle:
early in the day and after a rain
Features:
yellow spots on shell, head and legs; high-domed shell with a hinge on the plastron (lower half of the shell)
Size:
average is 4 ½ to 5 inches long
Social Structure:
they are social and usually mate in the spring
Life Expectancy:
75 years
Diet:
slugs, earthworms, wild strawberries and mushrooms
Status:
They are listed as vulnerable according to the IUCN and as "Appendix II" on CITES.
Interesting Facts:
- if conditions remain constant they may spend their entire life in an area scarcely larger than a football field
- their hinge allows them to tightly close their two shells
- males usually have red eyes and females have yellowish-brown eyes
- box turtles can eat mushrooms which are poisonous to man, there have been cases of people dying from eating a turtle that has just ingested those poisonous mushrooms
- female box turtles have the ability to store sperm and can produce fertile eggs several years after a single mating
- most common terrestrial turtle in the United States
Socialize
