One of the 41 turtles and tortoises on WAnimals
Reptiles · Testudines · Emydidae
Eastern Box Turtle
Terrapene carolina
It faces a high risk of extinction in the wild over the medium term. See full glossary
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 of more than a century, 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
Lifespan
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
Fun facts
- anatomíaIt can shut its shell completely on a hinge in the plastron, sealing itself inside like a box.
- It closes like a box: a hinge in the plastron lets it fold the two halves against the carapace and shut itself in airtight, with no opening through which a predator can reach it.
- It lives its whole life within a few hectares and its fidelity to that ground is absolute: a turtle moved a few kilometres away may spend years trying to get back, crossing roads on the way, and that is why they should never be relocated.
- It can live for more than a century: there are individuals marked with dates carved into the shell in the nineteenth century that were recovered alive decades later.
Life cycle & biology
- Skeleton type
- Vertebrate - internal bony skeleton with a shell (reptile)
- Habitat & environment
- Damp deciduous woodland, meadows and wetland margins of the eastern United States
- Sexual maturity
- 6 years
- Gestation / incubation
- 80 days of incubation
- Litter / clutch size
- 5 eggs
Sources consulted: https://www.iucnredlist.org/ | https://animaldiversity.org/ | https://es.wikipedia.org/
Where to watch it
Parques y spots de buceo donde se ha documentado esta especie — se muestran 10 de 12 documentados.
Related species
Other species in the catalogue with the most in common with Eastern Box Turtle — same habitat, park, country, tags or family.
Diamondback Terrapin
Malaclemys terrapin
Blanding's Turtle
Emydoidea blandingii
Painted Turtle
Chrysemys picta
Pond Slider
Trachemys scripta
Northern Map Turtle
Graptemys geographica
Chimney Swift
Chaetura pelagica
How to help
The eastern box turtle is classified as vulnerable. Organizations such as UICN, WWF y Wildlife Conservation Society work specifically on its conservation and that of its habitat; looking into their programs is a good starting point if you want to get involved.
It's documented in 8 real protected areas — part of why protecting these places matters for its conservation.
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