Wildlife Watching Wednesday: The Eastern Box Turtle

By: Tom Berg

Although most people think of lakes and ponds as normal turtle habitat, the relatively small eastern box turtle is a bit different.  These box turtles are more commonly found in meadows, woodlands and grassy fields – although they are also known to live near ponds and marshes at times.  Adults are usually only 5-7 inches long.

The eastern box turtle can be found in a variety of colors, although brown, orange and yellow are some of the most common colors.  Both the shell and the turtle’s skin have similar coloration.  The shell, or carapace, of the box turtle is very tall and forms a high dome.  Males have red eyes, while females typically have brown eyes.  But a sure-fire way of determining the sex of a box turtle is to examine its plastron – the underside of the turtle.  Females have a flat plastron; males have a concave plastron so the male can easily climb up on the female’s shell during mating.

Speaking of the turtle’s plastron, eastern box turtles are unlike most other turtles because they have a hinged plastron.  While most turtles simply retract their head and legs inside their shell when danger approaches, eastern box turtles can do the same and then pull their hinged plastron up tightly against their carapace.  This is very effective for protecting themselves from almost all predators.

Box turtles eat a wide variety of food items, including both plant and animal matter.  Grass, weeds, mushrooms, flowers, small fruits, insects, worms, slugs and snails are all part of their diet.  Adult turtles tend to favor plant material while juveniles seem to be the meat-eaters.

Eastern box turtles are common in many areas, but actually endangered in some states like Maine.  They are a “species of special concern” in other states like Indiana, Michigan, Massachusetts and others, and in those places they cannot be legally collected from the wild.  The photo of the eastern box turtle shown here was taken by Indiana resident William Keaton as this beautiful turtle meandered through his yard.

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