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Eastern Box Turtle

Terepene carolina carolina
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Appearance

They are tan to dark brown and have oblong patterns on their shell that can be yellow, orange, or olive. An interesting trait specific to box turtles is that you can guess whether they are male or female by their eye color — males have red or orange irises and females have yellow or brown irises. They have high-domed carapaces (top shell), and hinged plastrons (bottom shell) which allows them to pull their legs and head into their shell, like closing a box. While it is possible for Eastern box turtles to live for over 100 years, the average lifespan is around 50 years.

Range

The Eastern box turtle is the designated state reptile of North Carolina and is found throughout the state. Eastern box turtles can be found in moist forested areas, meadows, pastures and floodplains. If a box turtle’s habitat remains constant, they could spend their entire life in an area barely larger than a football field.

Diet

Their diet consists of earthworms, slugs, mushrooms, and they are particularly fond of strawberries.

Who You’ll Meet

Mayberry

Date of Birth: Unknown Mayberry was born in the wild and also came to the Nature Center in 2012. Mayberry was run over by a lawnmower and because of that she has a permanent scar on the top of her shell.

Rosa

Date of Birth: 2005-2007 Rosa came to the Nature Center in 2009 from a local turtle rehabilitator after sustaining an injury in the wild. Rosa has reddish eyes even though she is a female, which is how she got her name. Females typically have brown eyes, while males have red.

Red

Date of Birth: Unknown Red was born in the wild and came to the WNC Nature Center in October 2009 to be rehabilitated after being run over by a car. He has metal sutures in the bottom of his shell as a permanent reminder of how he came to us.