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| The Ornate Box Turtle is
only five inches long. It's hard to believe it is related
to the huge Galapagos tortoise! This small turtle gets its
name from its hand painted appearance. Its dark brown or black
upper shell sports bright yellow dashes. These dashes radiate
from the center of each shell segment down the sides like
fine brush strokes. The lower shell is brown with radiating
yellow lines, a characteristic that distinguishes the Ornate
Box Turtle from all other box turtles. |
A relative of the
Galapagos Tortoise? |
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Ornate Box Turtles are
found from Indiana west to southern South Dakota and southeast Wyoming,
south through Texas and into the coastal prairies of Louisiana.
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Ornate Box Turtles
live in sandy soils, dry prairies and oak savannahs. They prefer
southern and western exposures where temperatures are higher and
soils are drier. These small turtles require deep sandy soil to
burrow into for hibernation in the winter. Ornate box turtles will
use oak savannahs and edges of oak woods in the summer, to avoid
excessively warm temperatures. |
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The high-domed shell
of the Ornate Box Turtle serves as a helmet to shield its fleshy
body from predators such as skunks, raccoons, opossums, foxes, raptors,
and snakes. When threatened, box turtles literally box themselves
in. Tucking head and limbs inside, special hinges draw the lower
shell up tightly against the upper shell. |
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Ornate Box Turtles
eat a variety of foods found in their dry prairie habitat, including
beetles, grasshoppers, caterpillars, carrion, berries, prickly pear
cactus and other succulent vegetation. The Ornate does not often
drink water. It gets its liquid from the foods it eats. |
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Fall triggers hibernation,
and Ornates dig burrows with their front and hind feet, or occasionally
use tunnels excavated by small mammals. Even during active months,
box turtles take shelter in burrows on cool nights and hot days.
Box turtles emerge from winter hibernation in early to late April.
During hot weather they seek shade and are most active after rain. |
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In June, female turtles
dig nest holes in open sandy areas. They lay two to eight brittle,
white eggs, then cover the nest, sweeping away any trace. Eggs incubate
in the nest 59-70 days. Hatchlings are nickel sized and may stay
underground in their birth nest during the winter following their
birth before ever emerging, digging deeper below the nest chamber
to avoid freezing. |
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Guarded only with
its shell, the Ornate Box Turtle is an easy target for pet suppliers
and casual collectors, both of which have taken their toll on population
numbers. Humans are the most successful predator of adult Ornate
Box Turtles and are listed by several studies as the primary cause
of decline in turtle populations. As the Ornate’s habitat has
become more fragmented by roads and development, deaths due to automobiles
and losses due to pet collection have increased. |
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