Added 18 January 2011. Last updated 23 January 2011: updated Bibliography and Links.

Terrapene

Box Turtles

Introduction

Terrapene are the well-known North American Box Turtles of the south-eastern US and Mexico. They are popular pets, although their care is not the easiest of shelled reptiles. Also sometimes referred to as land turtles, these are the most terrestrial of the Emydidae, although some do like to soak in water or mud occasionally.

Box Turtles get their common name from their ability to close up both ends of the plastron after pulling in limbs and head, thus protecting themselves. This is made possibly by a single hinge across the plastron between the hyoplastral and hypoplastral bones which divides it into anterior and posterior lobes. However, the hinge is not functional in hatchlings. Another external characteristic is the upper jaw, which ends in a downturned beak.

Availability and care in captivity

Of the four species of Box Turtle, the Mexican ones are unavailable in the pet trade, leaving only the US races of T. carolina and T. ornata. Box Turtles do not appear to be offered much if at all in the UK.

DeVosjoli notes that T. ornata is harder to maintain in captivity than T. carolina. For care details, see Bartlett & Bartlett, DeVosjoli & Klingenberg and Müller. The average size of the turtles (about 6") means that indoor vivaria are not as problematic as with larger tortoises and turtles, but in suitable areas the species can also be kept outdoors provided proper precautions against escape or the ingress of predators are taken. A varied diet of both animal and plant matter is apparently important.

Correctly kept, a longevity of 30-40 years is not unusual, and individual records reach up to a century, making them comparable with members of the Testudinidae, the true land tortoises, for lifespan.

Given that as with many other creatures the numbers of Terrapene in the wild are threatened by human impact, including possible overcollecting in the past, these turtles should be prime candidates for breeding in captivity. Philippen claims that this is now being done in Europe.

QUICK INDEX

T. carolina, Eastern Box Turtle T. coahuila, Coahuilan Box Turtle T. nelsoni, Spotted Box Turtle

T. ornata, Ornate Box Turtle

Species Name Common Name Location Size Notes

T. carolina Eastern Box Turtle [D: Carolina Dosen-Schildkröte Fr: Tortue boîte commune] E & SE USA, E Mexico 4½-6"/11½-15cm; max 7¾"/19¾cm See subspecies entries for further details. Carapace: high, domed. Coloration: variable; carapace and plastron may be yellow, orange or olive on background of black or brown. Reproduction: females are larger than males, whose plastron is more convex and whose tails are longer . Courtship is similar to that of other New World emydids, the male waving his foreclaws in front of the female's face. Apart from in Florida, where D. r. chrysea nests from September to March, the species lays two clutches, one in spring and one in autumn. Clutch size averages about 8. See Walls for further details. Females become sexually mature at 6"/3 yrs old, males at 3"/2yrs old. [SOURCE: Conant & Collins, Müller]

T. c. carolina Eastern Box Turtle, Common Box Turtle [D: Fr: La Tortue-boîte de Caroline] SE USA (N Carolina to Mississippi, excluding Florida: isolated colony in SE Virgina) 4½-6"/11½-15cm; max 7¾"/19¾cm This subspecies aestivates in hot weather beneath logs or rotting vegetation. Carapace: high and domed in adults, usually much flatter in young. Rear margin flares straight downwards, not outwards as in T. c. major. Coloration: carapace is brown with yellow stripes and lines that may form letter-type markings. Plastron is yellowish, sometimes with white flecks. Young are mostly plain greyish brown but with yellow spot on each large scute. Reproduction: males can be distinguished by the concave area of the plastron, and sometimes by red eyes; females have flat or slightly convex plastron, and normally brown eyes.

T. c. bauri Florida Box Turtle SE USA (Florida inc. Keys) 5-6½"/12½-16½cm; max7½"/18½cm Distinguished from other subspecies by having 3, not 4, toes on each hind foot. Coloration: radiating lines may be broken or irregular, on some if not all scutes; two lines on head, which may be interrupted or incomplete; young have yellowish middorsal stripe, with mottled, greenish or yellowish pattern on dark brown background.

T. c. major Gulf Coast Box Turtle [D: Fr: La Tortue-boîte du Golfe] SE USA (Florida and S Alabama, S Mississippi and S Louisiana) Max 8½" 21½cm Found in coastal marsh and palmetto-pine forest. Intergrades with other subspecies along much of the coast. Carapace: rear margin flares outwards and sometimes upwards rather than straight downwards. Plastron: deeply concave in males. Coloration: may resemble T. c. bauri or T. c. triunguis; some individuals have white or white-blotched heads; young have uniform dark brown or black carapace with yellow spot on each costal and a middorsal keel with yellow stripe.

T. c. mexicana Mexican Box Turtle No information currently available.

T. c. triunguis Three-Toed Box Turtle [D: Fr: La Tortue-boîte à trois griffes] USA (S & W coasts of Florida) Max 20cm Confusingly, individuals of this subspecies may have 4 toes on each foot. Plastron: concave area very shallow or absent in males. Coloration: patterning may with age be replaced to lesser or greater degree with horn- or olive-coloured areas; plastron often plain horn or yellow; head and forelimbs usually have conspicuous spots.

T. c. yucatana Yucatan Box Turtle USA (Gulf coast of Florida westwards to Louisiana) Max 24cm Lee considers this race to be uncommon in Yucatan. He cites habitat as open and forested settings, with a preference for the former. There is apparently little known of the life history of this subspecies. [SOURCE: Lee]

T. coahuila Coahuilan Box Turtle [D: Wasserschildkröte] Mexico (Coahuila) 12-15cm, max 20cm This is an isolated species, being found only in the inland drainage basin of Cuatro Ciénegas. It inhabits ponds and marshes, but may also be encountered in terrestrial grassy areas. This is a CITES Appendix I and comes under Annex A of European species legislation. Carapace: elongated and oval, at least half as long as wide, and high, rear margin unserrated. Coloration: rather plain in appearance; carapace, head and limbs are grey to olive green; plastron is yellowish with irregular black markings; young have mostly yellowish carapace with dark grey to black markings, yellowish plastron, and yellowish to cream head and limbs, the head having black stripes and spots and the scales on the limbs black borders [Bauer & Jasser-Häger]: Muller describes the horn yellow carapace lacks pattern, and sutures between the shields are not edged in black; plastron is plain and light, also lacking pattern. However Baur & Jasser-Häger note that there are conflicting descriptions of the species in literature, which may be the case here. Reproduction: sexes cannot be distinguished by eye colour, as the irises of both are spotted yellowish brown; males are normally larger than females with bulkier skull, longer tail and concave area in plastron [SOURCE: Baur & Jasser-Häger, Müller].

T. nelsoni Spotted Box Turtle W Mexico (Sinaloa, S Sonora, Chihuahua, Nayarit) Max 22cm No information currently available.

T. n. nelsoni W Mexico (Sinaloa, S Sonora, Chihuahua, Nayarit)??

T. n. klauberi [D: Tropfen-Dosenschildkröte] W Mexico (Sonora, Chihuahua) Up to 14cm According to Müller, distinguished from other Terrapene species by having a less pronounced beak. Coloration: carapace covered with numerous small, clearly delineated yellow flecks on a dark background without letter- or radiative markings; plastron is plain yellow. [SOURCE: Müller]

T. ornata Ornate Box Turtle [D: Schmuck-Dosenschildkröte: Fr: La Tortue-boîte ornée] USA, Mexico (Sonora, Chihuahua) 4-5¾"/10-14½cm; max 6"/15cm Stebbins call this species primarily a prairie turtle, but notes it also occurs in open woodland. See also deVosjoli & Klingenberg's statement that this is a harder species to maintain in captivity than T. carolina. Carapace: high and rounded. Coloration: carapace overall horn or yellow coloured, marked with dark brown or black radiating lines or series of dots; young have yellowish middorsal stripe and cream or yellowish plastron with dark central blotch; see also subspecies entries. Reproduction: sexes can be distinguished by iris colour (red in males, yellowish or reddish brown in females) and by the first nail on the hind foot, which in the male is turned inwards; clutch of 2-8 eggs laid, May-August. [SOURCE: Conant & Collins, Stebbins]

T. o. ornata Up to 15cm Carapace: rather flatter than in most Terrapene species. Coloration: carapace is brown-black with yellow radiative markings which also appear on the plastron; head and limbs flecked with yellow to orange or sometimes red; distinguished from T. o. luteola by having fewer radiating lines on shell (5-10 on 2nd costal shield; individuals tend to retain patterning with age.. Reproduction: individuals can be sexed by the colour of the iris, which is red in males but yellow in females. [SOURCE: Müller]

T. o. luteola Desert Box Turtle Up to 15cm Coloration: distinguished from nominate subspecies by having more radiating lines on shell (11-14 on costal shield); patterns also tend to fade with age so that old individuals are uniformly coloured. [SOURCE: Stebbins]

Biography

"Box Turtles of the genus Terrapene", Hans-Dieter Philippen, Reptilia 32.

"Captive Care and Reproduction of the Rare and Threatened Coahuilan Box Turtle", Markus Baur and Irmtraud Jasser-Häger, Reptilia 32.

Issue 12 of the French language tortoise- and turtle enthusiast magazine Chéloniens is dedicated to the genus Terrapene, mainly focusing on T. carolina and T. ornata.

Links

Index of Terrapene articles

French language Terrapene captive husbandry group, run by the Fédération Francophone pour l'Elevage et la Protection des Tortues (Francophone Federation for the Husbandry and Protection of Tortoises and Turtles):

Bill's Box Turtles - enthusiast site with FAQs and other information. The forum section appears to transfer the user to www.turtletimes.com.

Melissa Kaplan's page on box turtle care.

Box Turtle Information from the Davidson College Herpetology Laboratory.

Turtlepuddle page on box turtle care by Mary Hopson, with links to other box turtle information pages.

	QUICK INDEX
T. carolina, Eastern Box Turtle	T. coahuila, Coahuilan Box Turtle	T. nelsoni, Spotted Box Turtle
T. ornata, Ornate Box Turtle

Species Name	Common Name	Location	Size	Notes
T. carolina	Eastern Box Turtle [D: Carolina Dosen-Schildkröte Fr: Tortue boîte commune]	E & SE USA, E Mexico	4½-6"/11½-15cm; max 7¾"/19¾cm	See subspecies entries for further details. Carapace: high, domed. Coloration: variable; carapace and plastron may be yellow, orange or olive on background of black or brown. Reproduction: females are larger than males, whose plastron is more convex and whose tails are longer . Courtship is similar to that of other New World emydids, the male waving his foreclaws in front of the female's face. Apart from in Florida, where D. r. chrysea nests from September to March, the species lays two clutches, one in spring and one in autumn. Clutch size averages about 8. See Walls for further details. Females become sexually mature at 6"/3 yrs old, males at 3"/2yrs old. [SOURCE: Conant & Collins, Müller]
T. c. carolina	Eastern Box Turtle, Common Box Turtle [D: Fr: La Tortue-boîte de Caroline]	SE USA (N Carolina to Mississippi, excluding Florida: isolated colony in SE Virgina)	4½-6"/11½-15cm; max 7¾"/19¾cm	This subspecies aestivates in hot weather beneath logs or rotting vegetation. Carapace: high and domed in adults, usually much flatter in young. Rear margin flares straight downwards, not outwards as in T. c. major. Coloration: carapace is brown with yellow stripes and lines that may form letter-type markings. Plastron is yellowish, sometimes with white flecks. Young are mostly plain greyish brown but with yellow spot on each large scute. Reproduction: males can be distinguished by the concave area of the plastron, and sometimes by red eyes; females have flat or slightly convex plastron, and normally brown eyes.
T. c. bauri	Florida Box Turtle	SE USA (Florida inc. Keys)	5-6½"/12½-16½cm; max7½"/18½cm	Distinguished from other subspecies by having 3, not 4, toes on each hind foot. Coloration: radiating lines may be broken or irregular, on some if not all scutes; two lines on head, which may be interrupted or incomplete; young have yellowish middorsal stripe, with mottled, greenish or yellowish pattern on dark brown background.
T. c. major	Gulf Coast Box Turtle [D: Fr: La Tortue-boîte du Golfe]	SE USA (Florida and S Alabama, S Mississippi and S Louisiana)	Max 8½" 21½cm	Found in coastal marsh and palmetto-pine forest. Intergrades with other subspecies along much of the coast. Carapace: rear margin flares outwards and sometimes upwards rather than straight downwards. Plastron: deeply concave in males. Coloration: may resemble T. c. bauri or T. c. triunguis; some individuals have white or white-blotched heads; young have uniform dark brown or black carapace with yellow spot on each costal and a middorsal keel with yellow stripe.
T. c. mexicana	Mexican Box Turtle			No information currently available.
T. c. triunguis	Three-Toed Box Turtle [D: Fr: La Tortue-boîte à trois griffes]	USA (S & W coasts of Florida)	Max 20cm	Confusingly, individuals of this subspecies may have 4 toes on each foot. Plastron: concave area very shallow or absent in males. Coloration: patterning may with age be replaced to lesser or greater degree with horn- or olive-coloured areas; plastron often plain horn or yellow; head and forelimbs usually have conspicuous spots.
T. c. yucatana	Yucatan Box Turtle	USA (Gulf coast of Florida westwards to Louisiana)	Max 24cm	Lee considers this race to be uncommon in Yucatan. He cites habitat as open and forested settings, with a preference for the former. There is apparently little known of the life history of this subspecies. [SOURCE: Lee]
T. coahuila	Coahuilan Box Turtle [D: Wasserschildkröte]	Mexico (Coahuila)	12-15cm, max 20cm	This is an isolated species, being found only in the inland drainage basin of Cuatro Ciénegas. It inhabits ponds and marshes, but may also be encountered in terrestrial grassy areas. This is a CITES Appendix I and comes under Annex A of European species legislation. Carapace: elongated and oval, at least half as long as wide, and high, rear margin unserrated. Coloration: rather plain in appearance; carapace, head and limbs are grey to olive green; plastron is yellowish with irregular black markings; young have mostly yellowish carapace with dark grey to black markings, yellowish plastron, and yellowish to cream head and limbs, the head having black stripes and spots and the scales on the limbs black borders [Bauer & Jasser-Häger]: Muller describes the horn yellow carapace lacks pattern, and sutures between the shields are not edged in black; plastron is plain and light, also lacking pattern. However Baur & Jasser-Häger note that there are conflicting descriptions of the species in literature, which may be the case here. Reproduction: sexes cannot be distinguished by eye colour, as the irises of both are spotted yellowish brown; males are normally larger than females with bulkier skull, longer tail and concave area in plastron [SOURCE: Baur & Jasser-Häger, Müller].
T. nelsoni	Spotted Box Turtle	W Mexico (Sinaloa, S Sonora, Chihuahua, Nayarit)	Max 22cm	No information currently available.
T. n. nelsoni		W Mexico (Sinaloa, S Sonora, Chihuahua, Nayarit)??
T. n. klauberi	[D: Tropfen-Dosenschildkröte]	W Mexico (Sonora, Chihuahua)	Up to 14cm	According to Müller, distinguished from other Terrapene species by having a less pronounced beak. Coloration: carapace covered with numerous small, clearly delineated yellow flecks on a dark background without letter- or radiative markings; plastron is plain yellow. [SOURCE: Müller]
T. ornata	Ornate Box Turtle [D: Schmuck-Dosenschildkröte: Fr: La Tortue-boîte ornée]	USA, Mexico (Sonora, Chihuahua)	4-5¾"/10-14½cm; max 6"/15cm	Stebbins call this species primarily a prairie turtle, but notes it also occurs in open woodland. See also deVosjoli & Klingenberg's statement that this is a harder species to maintain in captivity than T. carolina. Carapace: high and rounded. Coloration: carapace overall horn or yellow coloured, marked with dark brown or black radiating lines or series of dots; young have yellowish middorsal stripe and cream or yellowish plastron with dark central blotch; see also subspecies entries. Reproduction: sexes can be distinguished by iris colour (red in males, yellowish or reddish brown in females) and by the first nail on the hind foot, which in the male is turned inwards; clutch of 2-8 eggs laid, May-August. [SOURCE: Conant & Collins, Stebbins]
T. o. ornata			Up to 15cm	Carapace: rather flatter than in most Terrapene species. Coloration: carapace is brown-black with yellow radiative markings which also appear on the plastron; head and limbs flecked with yellow to orange or sometimes red; distinguished from T. o. luteola by having fewer radiating lines on shell (5-10 on 2nd costal shield; individuals tend to retain patterning with age.. Reproduction: individuals can be sexed by the colour of the iris, which is red in males but yellow in females. [SOURCE: Müller]
T. o. luteola	Desert Box Turtle		Up to 15cm	Coloration: distinguished from nominate subspecies by having more radiating lines on shell (11-14 on costal shield); patterns also tend to fade with age so that old individuals are uniformly coloured. [SOURCE: Stebbins]