Box Turtles
Box Turtles are terrestrial reptiles known for their unique hinged shell, which allows them to completely enclose themselves for protection. Several species and subspecies exist in North America and Asia. Box turtles have a high-domed shell (carapace) with a wide variety of colors and patterns, typically with yellow, orange, or olive markings on a dark background. Males often have red or orange eyes, while females usually have brown or yellowish-brown eyes.
Eastern Box Turtle Facts
Eastern Box Turtles (Terrapene Carolina Carolina) are found throughout the Eastern United States in a variety of habitats, but most commonly in open hardwood forests and along field or wetland edges. They are highly terrestrial but often can be found soaking in puddles or streams. Adults range in size from 4.5 - 6" with a high, rounded shell that is dark with many yellow or orange splotches. There are four toes on each hind foot. Males have a concave plastron and often have red eyes.
Omnivorous with a diet including mushrooms, berries and other fruits, worms, slugs, snails and insects.
Gulf Coast Box Turtle Facts
The Gulf Coast box turtle (Terrapene Carolina Major) is the largest North American box turtle (shells can reach up to 9" or more in length) found along the Gulf of Mexico from Florida to Louisiana and into eastern Texas. It is more aquatic than other box turtles, possessing slightly webbed feet.
Omnivorous, with a diet that is over 60% animal matter, including slugs, snails, worms and insects. They also eat plant matter like fungi, berries, and grass.
Florida Box Turtle Facts
The native range of the Florida Box Turtle (Terrapene bauri) extends from extreme southeast Georgia, south to the Florida Keys. Once considered a subspecies of Terrapene Carolina, it is now recognized as a full species within the greater Terrapene complex. They are found near damp, humid habitats such as swamps or wetlands and are known to rest in shallow water for multiple days. Each shell scute has multiple yellow striations on a black or brown background. They usually have three toes on the hind feet but may occasionally have four. They range from approximately 6 to 7 inches in size with males typically being larger than females and featuring much larger hind feet and tails. Their diet includes slugs, snails, insects, crustaceans, carrion and low hanging fruits.
Ornate Box Turtle
The Ornate Box Turtle (Terrapene Ornata Ornata) occurs from Wisconsin to the Gulf of Mexico, and from Louisiana to Colorado. It is often found in open grasslands with a nearby water source. They are typically four to six inches in size with males usually being smaller than females. The hind feet have four toes and, like the Florida Box Turtle, they have multiple yellow striations on each shell scute. Their diet consists of worms, insects, fungi, plants and carrion.
Desert Box Turtle
The native range of the Desert Box Turtle (Terrapene Ornata Luteola) stretches from western Texas, west through New Mexico and southern Arizona and south into Sonora and Chihuahua, Mexico. It is a sub-species of the Ornate turtle that lives in drier, scrubbier environments. They can often be found near the burrows of prairie dogs and other burrowing animals, which they use as protection from dry, hot conditions. They are similar in appearance to Ornate Box Turtles but either have more striations per scute (9+), or sometimes no striations at all with a marbled appearance instead. The carapace (top shell) of Desert Box Turtles usually has a flattened top when compared to the Ornate Box Turtle. Their diet consists of beetles and other insects, fungi, plants and carrion.
Three-Toed Box Turtle Facts
The three-toed box turtle (Terrapene Mexicana Triunguis) is native to the central and eastern United States. These land-dwelling turtles are omnivores, eating insects, worms and plants, and have a long lifespan with some living over 70 years. They are currently listed as a vulnerable species due to habitat loss and other threats. They typically have three toes on their hind feet, though some exceptions exist.
Its range extends from central Oklahoma eastward through the central and eastern United States, as far north as Michigan and as far south as Florida. It is found in the south-central U.S., including Missouri, Oklahoma, Texas and Alabama, and can be seen up to the Atlantic coast and through Florida. Shell length is typically 4.5 to 5 inches but can reach up to 7 inches.
Omnivorous with a diet including insects, worms, small reptiles and mammals, leafy greens and other vegetation.
