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Eastern Box Turtle

Overview:

Scientific Name: Terrapene carolina carolina

Size: 4.6 – 7.8,” rarely exceeding 6.3” (adult carapace length)

Status: Uncommon to rare and steadily declining throughout Great Lakes region. Historically quite common and widespread in woodlands of eastern Lake Michigan and western Lake Erie basins. Can remain locally common in intact habitat with low disturbance.

Michigan State Status: Threatened

Federal Status: Candidate Under Review

MDNR Wildlife Action Plan Status: Species of Greatest Conservation Need

Habitat:

Inhabit deciduous or mixed woodlands especially those with sandy soils. Will use adjacent thickets, old fields, pastures, vegetated dunes, marshes and bog edges. Access to water and unshaded nesting sites is necessary. Highest densities are found in moist, open hardwood forests and forest/old field edges with relief such as ravines or modest slopes.  

Conservation:

As Michigan’s only fully terrestrial turtle species, the eastern box turtle serves an important ecological role in the landscape. Consuming a wide variety of plants and insects, eastern box turtles act as critical seed dispersers as well as pest control in woodland/edge communities. However, habitat loss due to land-use conversion and fragmentation caused by increased urbanization are causing eastern box turtle populations to become scattered and isolated. Other factors such as illegal harvest, forest fires/poorly planned prescribed burns, and road mortality are further contributing to the extirpation of many of these remnant populations across the state. Life history characteristics such as high hatchling mortality and delayed sexual maturity also put eastern box turtles at increased vulnerability to disturbances within their habitat. These traits, which are usually balanced out by high expected adult survivorship, can make it very difficult for eastern box turtles to maintain stable populations when adults or older juveniles are removed from the system. Either because of over-predation or collection for the illegal wildlife trade, the loss of eastern box turtles from older age classes can be detrimental to a population’s persistence. Similarly to other colorful and rare turtle species, eastern box turtles are immensely popular in the illegal wildlife trade and are one of the most trafficked turtles on the market. 

Best Management:

Identify and protect quality habitat containing eastern box turtle populations. Suitable habitat consists of deciduous or mixed woodlands containing sandy soils and situated close to a water source. Maintain and protect the landscapes natural wetland hydrology. Maintain adequate water quality by using vegetated buffer zones between areas of chemical application and aquatic system. Identify and prevent non-point nutrient and chemical runoff from entering the system. Prevent the introduction of invasive species. Implement alternative strategies to prevent the need for pesticide application or consider utilizing alternative, low-toxicity substances and biocontrols. Captive rearing head-start programs can be an effective tool in stabilizing populations in decline. Introduce predator controls to eliminate over-predation and increase the success of nests. Ensure habitat connectivity between summer foraging areas/overwintering sites and nesting habitat. Protect and monitor eastern box turtle nests and nesting habitat. If needed, provide supplemental nesting habitat. Utilize coarse woody debris to create simple habitat structures. Support favorable hibernacula conditions by ensuring the soil is not heavily compacted and that a leaf and duff layer of at least 1 foot is present. Heavily reduce or eliminate the use of vehicles and heavy equipment. If required, use during the winter season when the ground is frozen. Minimize road mortality by installing wildlife barrier fencing or crossing structures to redirect eastern box turtle movements during peak active season. Monitor sites consistently to prevent the collection of eastern box turtles for the illegal wildlife trade and report suspicious activities to wildlife law enforcement. Due to its terrestrial lifestyle and xeric habitat preference, poorly planned prescribed burns can be detrimental to eastern box turtles. If prescribed burns are to be conducted within an area containing eastern box turtle populations, ensure herpetological protocols are adhered to. These include restricting the burn frequency, conducting pre-burn inventories, learning the natural history and life cycles of herpetological species present on site, accounting for undetected rare species, conducting burns during seasons when herpetofauna is at less risk, monitoring herpetofauna communities present pre-and post-burn, avoid burning near wetlands, create refuge areas, create fire breaks around critical herpetofauna habitat features, avoid burning brush and leaf piles/logs, burn small areas infrequently. If mowing is to be conducted, mow infrequently and during the hottest times of the year. Additionally, set mower decks high (>6”) to avoid ground-dwelling wildlife or alternatively set mower decks low (<2”) to discourage the movement of herpetofauna into the area. It’s important to note that wildlife clearance surveys must be conducted prior to any mowing operations in areas containing rare herpetofauna. 

Adult Coloration:

The carapace is usually brown or black with a radiating pattern of yellowish or orange spots, blotches or lines in each scute. Lighter color may cover much of the shell in some individuals that they can appear yellow with dark markings. Plastron coloration can be solid black, brown, tan, or yellow or any combination of these in blotches or streaks. Coloration of the skin, head, and legs can vary but is typically brown with yellow, orange, or white spots or streaks. In some (usually males) lighter colors may predominate. Males have red irises while females have brown or yellowish irises.  

Adult Characteristics:

The carapace is highly domed (“helmet shaped”) with a hinged plastron. The carapace has a slight central keel, and the scutes have prominent growth rings (known as annuli) though some may be worn smooth. Males have flared rear carapace margins and a concave rear lobe of the plastron. The hind claws are thick and quite curved in males and the tail is thicker and longer than in females.  

Length: 11.8-19.8 cm 

Typical lifespan in wild: 40-50 years 

Breeding interval: once annually although can produce another clutch  

Breeding season: June-July 

Range gestation period: 50-90 days 

Average age at sexual/reproductive maturity (female): 10+ 

Average age at sexual/reproductive maturity (male): 10+ 

Diet: earthworms, snails, slugs, insects, mushrooms, various leafy greens, raspberries, blackberries, mayapple 

Predators: raccoons, skunks, foxes, shrews, birds, and snakes 

Juvenile Characteristics:

Hatchlings have flatter, more circular carapaces that are brown or greyish-brown with a light spot in the center of each scute with a prominent central keel. The plastral hinge is nonfunctional. Carapace length ranges from 1 to 1.2”. 

Species Confused With:

The Blanding’s Turtle also has a plastral hinge but its elongated carapace is smooth and unkeeled, its upper jaw is notched (rather than hooked), and its throat and lower neck are usually bright yellow. The occasionally terrestrial Wood Turtle has a broader, less domed carapace and its plastron lacks a hinge.  

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