MExican box turtle
Conservation Messaging Opportunities
Help stop habitat loss
Physical features
The Mexican box turtle is a subspecies of box turtle that is native to Mexico.
Box turtles have a hinged plastron, an adaptation that allows them to hide inside their shell in order to become an impenetrable box. This is especially helpful when encountering predators.
Range and Habitat
Range – Eastern Mexico
Habitat – Scrublands, forests
Diet: Omnivore
Wild – Vegetables, fruit, mushrooms, insects
Zoo – Salad, earthworms, crickets, small mice
Lifespan
Wild – 80-100 years
Zoo – 50-80 years
Reproduction
Breeding occurs during the fall and the following spring the female will lay a clutch of 4-8 eggs into a well-dug nest. The incubation period lasts about 60-70 days.
According to the IUCN, there is currently no specific information available on reproduction of Terrapene Carolina Mexicana.
Conservation: Not Evaluated
Major threats include habitat loss due to agricultural and urban development.
Some studies have shown that the Mexican box turtle is somewhat common in its habitat. However, more research is needed to monitor its population and life history.
Interpretive Information
Box turtles can act as seed dispersers (they aid with germination of plant seeds).
One can tell the gender of a box turtle by observing the plastron. Males have a concave plastron which assists in the mounting of females during breeding season. Females tend to have a flatter plastron.
Box turtles are diurnal. They cool themselves by hiding under moist leaf matter, in mud, or in water.
References
Terrapene carolina. Retrieved January 12, 2015, from http://www.iucnredlist.org/details/21641/0
Box Turtle. Retrieved January 12, 2015, from http://nationalzoo.si.edu/Animals/ReptilesAmphibians/Facts/FactSheets/Easternboxturtle.cfm
Common box turtle. Retrieved January 4, 2015, from http://www.arkive.org/common-box-turtle/terrapene-carolina/image-G27038.html
Zoo Atlanta Keeper Staff
Updated January 2015