What makes a box turtle unique?

Box turtles are the only turtles in North America with a flexible hinge on their belly to close the front and rear halves of the shell tightly like a box.

What time of day are box turtles most active?

In the summer, they are most active early in the morning or after it rains. When it gets too hot, they find cool areas to rest, such as under logs, leave piles, mud or abandoned mammal burrows. During the spring and fall, they are active throughout the day and enjoy lying in the sun to get warm.

What does a box turtle do all day?

Box turtles are diurnal, meaning they’re active in the daytime. Their days are spent foraging and eating, and sometimes mating. Like all reptiles, they’re ectothermic—they can’t regulate their body temperature and it’s affected by the temperature of their surrounding environment.

How long can a box turtle live?

Eastern box turtles reach maturity at 10 to 20 years old and can live to be more than 100 years old. The eastern box turtle is not considered endangered on a national level.

What are some interesting facts about box turtles?

Interesting Box turtle Facts: Box turtle can grow to the size of 8 inches. Box turtle has high domed carapace (upper part of the shell) and hinged plastron (lower part of the shell) which allows almost complete closure of the shell. Males are larger than females. Box turtles are diurnal animals (active during the day).

What are box turtles habits?

Feeding habits. Eastern box turtles are omnivore animals. That means that they will eat almost anything that they can fit in their mouth. The eating habits of eastern box turtles vary greatly due to individual taste, temperature, lighting, and their surrounding environment.

What are the characteristics of a box turtle?

The physical characteristics of the box turtle can vary from one type to another. Regardless of the subspecies, however, one thing that is common is that they are small. It can grow anywhere from 4.5 to 7 inches. Generally, a male box turtle has a slightly concave lower shell, bright red eyes, and a vent that lies near the tail’s end.

What are the Predators of the eastern box turtle?

Hungry Birds: The box turtles spend a part of their life on land. The birds especially the bearded vultures notice them from the sky.