Masks are required indoors for all guests 2 and up regardless of vaccination status. Closed Now Opens Fri. Alerts 1! Directions Buy Tickets. Maryland Zoo Logo Menu. Join Donate Shop. Buy Tickets Directions Zoo Map. To All Animals terrapene carolina carolina Eastern Box Turtle The box turtle gets its name from its unique ability to clamp its upper and lower shells shut like a box.
DIET Omnivore - Snails, insects, berries, carrion, fungi, slugs, worms, roots, flowers, fish, frogs, snakes, salamanders, birds, and eggs; young are primarily carnivorous, adults are primarily herbivorous.
Dig Deeper Overview Taxonomy. Raising Young Reproduction does not come readily or easily to Eastern box turtles. Never relocate a turtle in the wild, unless you see one trying to cross a road. Help a turtle cross a road only if you can do so safely, and be sure to point it in the same direction that it was headed. Never return a pet or rescued turtle to the wild without first contacting the Maryland Department of Natural Resources. Educate friends and family about the importance of observing — but not touching, disturbing or collecting — turtles in the wild.
When visiting wetlands, tread lightly and stay on designated paths. Use pesticides and other hazardous materials sparingly and dispose of them properly to insure that they do not end up in waterways. Recycle in order to reduce waste and reduce the need for landfills. The Story Continues Taxonomy.
You May Also Like. View More Animals. When threatened, they will retract all of their limbs into their shell and clamp it shut. Very few predators can effectively prey upon adult box turtles because of this technique. Box turtles mate from April to October, with nesting occurring from May through July. A box turtle usually has one clutch per year, with between two and eight eggs in each clutch. The turtles dig nests several inches below the soil.
As in other turtle species, the temperature of the nest determines the sex of the hatchlings. Warmer nests tend to produce females, while cooler nests produce males. Eastern box turtles reach maturity at 10 to 20 years old and can live to be more than years old. The eastern box turtle is not considered endangered on a national level. However, some states—including Michigan, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, and Connecticut—list the animal as a species of special concern, and Maine lists the turtle as endangered.
Habitat loss , traffic incidents, and collection for the pet trade are all factors contributing to its decline. A groundbreaking bipartisan bill aims to address the looming wildlife crisis before it's too late, while creating sorely needed jobs. More than one-third of U. We're on the ground in seven regions across the country, collaborating with 52 state and territory affiliates to reverse the crisis and ensure wildlife thrive.
Uniting all Americans to ensure wildlife thrive in a rapidly changing world. Inspire a lifelong connection with wildlife and wild places through our children's publications, products, and activities. In 4 seconds , you will be redirected to nwfactionfund. The National Wildlife Federation. When threatened, the box turtle pulls its body into its shell and waits for the danger to pass.
Its shell is also unique in that it can regenerate. In one reported case, the carapace of a badly burned box turtle completely regenerated. Box turtles have a hooked upper jaw, and most have a significant overbite. Their feet are slightly webbed. There are many ways to tell a male and female box turtle apart. Males are generally larger and have shorter, thicker tails than females. Males also have short, thick, curved hind claws, while females' hind claws are long, straight and thin.
Eastern box turtles walk energetically with their heads upright and may travel about 50 meters 55 yards in one day. A homing instinct, an innate ability to navigate to a "home base" despite being in an unfamiliar area, helps this turtle find its way back home. Eastern box turtles typically grow to 10 centimeters by 15 centimeters 4 inches by 6 inches.
They are a bit larger than other subspecies within their range. The largest box turtle is the Gulf Coast box turtle, which is found along the northern region of the Gulf of Mexico. The eastern box turtle is one of the few native species housed at Reptile Discovery Center.
Box turtles of all subspecies are found throughout North America, the eastern Gulf coast of Mexico, and the Yucatan Peninsula. The subspecies Terrapene c. Eastern box turtles are predominantly terrestrial and live in a variety of vegetative areas, including shrubby grasslands, marshy meadows, open woodlands and field forest edges.
They are often found near streams or ponds, or areas that have experienced heavy rainfall. These opportunistic omnivores eat a wide variety of plants, mushrooms, fruits, insects, fish, small amphibians, eggs and even animal carrion. Younger box turtles grow very rapidly and tend to be preferentially carnivorous for the needed energy. Therefore, they spend more time in the water where it is easier to hunt. After five to six years, they move onto the land and shift to a more herbivorous diet.
At the Smithsonian's National Zoo, eastern box turtles eat salad, earthworms, pellets and, on occasion, mealworms. Box turtles reach sexual maturity around the age of 5.
Mating season for eastern box turtles generally starts in the spring and continues through the fall. After a rainfall, males become especially active in their search for a female. Males may mate with more than one female or the same female several times. Females can store sperm for up to four years and therefore do not mate every year.
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