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Common Box Turtle
Colouration.—Black or dark brown above, with numerous yellow spots or blotches. The markings are extremely variable. They may consist of short, yellow bands arranged in irregular groups in each plate, or of bands that run together on the sides of the shell, forming broad, E-like markings. On many specimens the markings are confined to the centres of the shields, each of which contains an irregular blotch that resembles the outline of a large drop of fluid falling upon a flat surface and splashing in every direction. Occasional specimens look as if they had been spotted with a brush, with no regard for regularity in the placing of the blotches.
Dimensions.—The measurements in this list are of an adult, male specimen:
Distribution.—The New England States, to South Carolina (inclusive) and westward to Kansas.
The carapace of this species is highly arched and globular, with a distinct, though blunt keel upon the centre. The front and rear borders of the upper shell flare outward and the edges curl upward. There are four claws upon the hind feet.
The plastron is yet more variable than the carapace. On some specimens it is of a uniform dark brown or black; on others black, with large patches of yellow. A specimen in the writer's collection possesses a plastron strikingly marked with narrow lines and spots of black and yellow over the entire surface. The black markings fuse into the yellow through a medium of rich brown and the effect is to closely resemble the showy markings of the Hawk's-bill Turtle, which yields the valuable "tortoise" shell.
The head markings of this species are very irregular. Male specimens usually have bright red eyes; the eyes of the females are generally yellow.
Height of Combined Shell. . . . .2 1/2 inches.
Length of Carapace. . . . .5 5/8 inches.
Width of Carapace . . . . .4 3/4 inches.
Length of Plastron (open). . . . .5 3/4 inches.
Width of Head. . . . .1 1/4 inches.
Habits of the Box Turtle
There is no reptile possessing greater immunity from harm than the Box Turtle. Once its shelly fortress is closed there are few living creatures except man that can harm the fleshy parts within. Other chelonians, although withdrawing the head and limbs within the shell at times or danger, are in much the same predicament when discovered by a hungry animal as the proverbial ostrich that buries its head in the sand to "conceal" itself from harm. Sharp claws, mounted on sinuous limbs, or the talons of the birds of prey can readily tear the exposed fleshy parts of the ordinary turtle from its shell.
Though the Box Turtle closes its shell in a manner to appropriately elicit the creature's popular name--and effectually protect the reptile from harm, individuals vary as regards the perfect closing of the hinged portions of the plastron against the upper shell. The writer has examined specimens with which the lobes of the plastron closed so perfectly against the carapace that at no part of the union of upper and lower shell was there sufficient space to insert such a small object as a broom straw. Indeed, it does not appear possible that such specimens could breathe without difficulty, for they usually remain tightly closed for an hour or more--or as long as there is the slighest suspicion of danger. Other specimens close less perfectly, so that it is possible to insert a good-sized quill in several places around the plastron, while there are occasional specimens with which the plates at the extremities of the plastron protrude slightly from the border of the upper shell and thus prevent a good union--sometimes to such an extent that the limbs may be seen through an orifice of about an eighth of an inch.
The muscles that close the plastron are of great power. It is by no means an easy matter to pry the shells apart, even though one have strong hands and be provided with an implement of such leverage as a chisel. Some specimens are so fat from voracious feeding during the berry season that they are unable to close both lobes of the plastron simultaneously--the pressure of one-half of the lower shell upon the fleshy parts ludicrously forcing open the other.
The Box Turtle is a strictly terrestrial reptile and its habits tally closely with those of the true tortoises, although it is of a wandering disposition and does not dig permanent burrows. It is most abundant in situations where open, grassy spots alternate in sparse thickets. The food consists largely of vegetable matter and berries, though the larvae of insects are eaten as well as earthworms and slugs. During the periods when black-berries ripen many specimens show unmistakable evidences of feasting by their stained mandibles and forefeet.