One of the 41 turtles and tortoises on WAnimals
Reptiles · Testudines · Emydidae
Terrapene carolina
At high risk of extinction in the wild over the medium term.
The eastern box turtle can close up completely: its plastron has a hinge that lets it fold the two halves against the carapace and shut itself in airtight. It is extraordinarily long-lived, with documented individuals more than a century old, and shows such strict fidelity to its home range that a displaced animal will try to return for years.
Weight
300 g – 900 g
Size
11 cm – 20 cm
Life expectancy
100 years
Diet
Omnivore
Combines animal and plant food depending on availability.
Activity
Diurnal
Active mainly during the day.
Social structure
Solitary
Lives and hunts alone, joining others only to breed.
Sighting difficulty
Moderate
Sources consulted: https://www.iucnredlist.org/ | https://animaldiversity.org/ | https://es.wikipedia.org/
The pins mark the parks where its presence is documented.
Parks and dive sites where this species has been documented — showing 10 of 12.
Other species in the catalogue with the most in common with Eastern Box Turtle — same habitat, park, country, tags or family.
The eastern box turtle is classified as vulnerable. Organisations such as the IUCN, WWF and the Wildlife Conservation Society work specifically on its conservation and that of its habitat; looking into their programmes is a good starting point if you want to get involved.
It's documented in 8 protected areas — one reason why protecting these places matters for its conservation.
Based on what we already know about eastern box turtle.
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