The eastern box turtle's diet consists of snails, insects, worms, crayfish, fish, frogs and carrion, but will also eat roots, stems, fruits, berries and seeds. In short, they are generalist predators which will eat just about anything they find! The Box turtle is essentially a land turtle found in open woodlands, grasslands or marsh meadows. On hot or dry days they will try to keep cool by burrowing underneath logs and rotting vegetation, although the box turtle is primarily terrestrial, they will occasionally soak in the mud or water to keep cool too. |
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Mating occurs in May. After one successful copulation (mating period), the female can lay fertilized eggs for up to 4 years. Nests are built in the woods or on open, elevated patches of rich soil from May to July, where an average of 4 to 5 eggs are placed in the nest. The entire nesting process may take up to 5 hours! Females commonly lay two clutches of eggs in a season. The eggs hatch in September to October with the hatchlings overwintering in the nest. While the eastern box turtle enjoys a diet of invertebrates, their nests are food sources for vertebrates such as badgers, foxes, raccoons and birds of prey. Although their eggs and juveniles are easily killed, the adults are well protected by their hinged shell. The leading cause of declining populations of the eastern box turtle is through highway kills and the removal of adults from the wild populations for the 'keep sake' of a pet. |
