Box Turtle

Terrapin carolina

by Nate Porter

Classification

Kingdom: Animal
Phylum: Chordate
Class: Reptile
Order: Cholera
Family: Emydidae
Genus: Terrapin
Species: Carolina

Physical Description

The box turtle has a high homelike shell. The box turtle is known for its brownish shell. Each part of its shell has yellow or orange lines, spots, or blotches. Its legs and neck, black or reddish brown skin with yellow, red, or orange spots or streaks. Its lower shell is tan to dark brown. The males have red eyes. The females have brown eyes. The box turtle is 4” to 6”.

Diet and Feeding Habits

The box turtle eats many things. They eat earth worms, slugs, snails, wild strawberries, blackberries, mushrooms, insects like grasshoppers and crickets, and sometimes eats dead animals.

Reproduction

The box turtle lays eggs between the months of May to July. The box turtle lays between 2 to 8 eggs. The eggs hatch between 2 to 3 weeks. After they are hatched they have to fend for themselves.

Habitat

The box turtle prefers deciduous forest with a moist floor. They also can be found in pastures and grasslands. The box turtle can live as far north as Southern Maine and as far south as Southern Florida. They live as west as Texas and as far east as the Atlantic coast.

Role in the Ecosystem

The box turtles' role in the ecosystem is largely based on what it eats. The box turtle is an omnivore. An omnivore is an animal that eats both plants and animals. The box turtle eats slugs, snails, earthworms, wild strawberries, blackberries, mushrooms, insects such as grasshoppers and crickets, and they sometimes eat dead animals. The box turtle is both predator and prey. They are eaten by raccoons, minks, skunks, and other animals.

Bibliography

http://nationalzoo.si.edu/Animals/ReptilesAmphibians/Facts/FactSheets/Easternboxturtle.cfm

http://www.fcps.edu/islandcreekes/ecology/eastern_box_turtle.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terrapene_carolina_carolina

http://aboxturtle.com/eastern_box_turtle_care.htm

http://www.maine.gov/ifw/wildlife/etweb/pdfs/boxturtle_74_75.pdf

http://www.hilltopanimalhospital.com/boxturtle.htm

http://www.bio.davidson.edu/people/midorcas/research/Contribute/Box%20T

Maine's Endangered and Threatened Wildlife by MODIFY