Eastern Box Turtle
(Terrapene c. carolina)
Photo Courtesy of World Chelonia Trust
The Eastern Box Turtle is 5 - 8 inches with a high domes carapace a movable hinge on the plastron which allows it to completely hide in its shell. The carapace is brightly colored and has highly variable patterns. The hind feet each have 4 toes. Males tend to have red eyes and a concave portion of the plastron.
Mating usually occurs in spring with eggs laid from May to July. They usually lay 3 - 8 oblong thin-shelled eggs in a 3 - 4 inch deep nest. Females can store sperm for years after a mating.
Eastern Box Turtles can be found in most forested areas, meadows and fields. They feed invertebrates, wild fruits and even mushrooms that are toxic to humans. They are usually active in the morning but will often spend the warmest summer months in bogs or marshes. Some specimens were known to live 100 years or more and can live their entire life in an area no larger than a football field provided the environment does not change.