We have two kinds of box turtles in Oklahoma, and I’ve seen both this year, so it’s time for a note about them.
The two are ornate box turtle and three-toed box turtle. Another name for the ornate box turtle is plains box turtle. The ornate box turtle is the state reptile of Kansas and Nebraska. There are four other kinds of box turtles in North America.
Ornate Box Turtle
The ornate box turtle is found in open prairie settings, the three-toed box turtle is seen in wooded areas. The ornate has bright yellow markings on the top shell (carapace) and bottom shell (plastron) and has four toes on the hind foot. As the name implies, the three-toed has only three toes on the hind foot. The top and bottom shells are plain brown, although there may be light markings on the top shell.
Male box turtles have red eyes and red scales on their front feet, female box turtles have brown eyes and brown scales on their front feet. Box turtles can be attracted by putting food out for them. A friend puts out overripe bananas, I use pieces of apple. Both works great.
Box turtles are solitary animals. They do not vocalize and do not have pheromones (chemical scents) to attract other turtles. I’ve often wondered how they find each other to mate and have babies. So, how do they find each other? It’s by chance. That’s right, sheer chance.
Several turtles may gather at a feeding area where fruit has fallen from a tree or shrub, such as mulberry or blackberry, and in doing so encounter each another. We have a grove of trees by the pond where I’ve cleared the underbrush to make an open area. During the warm months, I take pieces of apple to the grove for the box turtles. There is usually one, maybe two, in the clearing when I go by in the evening to check and add more apple pieces. The most I’ve seen was five. One year there was a little turtle that would “run” towards me for its piece of apple. For a box turtle, “run” is just a faster walk.
Mating occurs in the spring and early summer although I’ve noticed it as late as fall. I often find box turtles mating in the grove. What I may have inadvertently done by taking pieces of apple to them was to create a prolonged feeding area, a bit like a singles bar for box turtles.
During mating, the male mounts the female and hooks his toes inside her shell. They may remain coupled for a couple hours. The male often falls over on his back. One clever male I saw had backed up against a tree and hadn’t fallen over. After mating, the turtles go their separate ways.
If conditions are suitable, the female will begin to lay eggs in three to six weeks. However, she can store sperm and lay fertile eggs after a single mating for up to four years. Given that box turtles are solitary animals, and they may not encounter another turtle for a long time, this is an effective species survival strategy.
The lifespan of an ornate box turtle in the wild is approximately 35 years, for the three-toed it’s about 70 years. Some box turtles can live for a hundred years.
Box turtles have a relatively small home territory, and they also have a strong homing instinct. If they are removed from their home territory to a distant site and released, they will likely spend the rest of their lives trying to get back home. Often, they will pass through dangerous areas such as highways, construction sites, developments and so on. Many are killed trying to get home.
If you happen to find a box turtle crossing the highway, and if it’s safe for you to do so, move the turtle to the other side of the road in the direction to which it was going. Please don’t try to relocate it. The turtle will simply try to get back to its home territory. Box turtle numbers are declining because of habitat loss and deaths on highways and other dangerous settings.
Wild box turtles should never be kept as pets because they will probably stop eating and eventually die. If you want a pet box turtle, it’s best to purchase one from a supplier that raises captive-bred turtles. Several suppliers can be found on the Internet. Both ornate and three-toed baby turtles are available for purchase. Be forewarned, though. The cost may be up to $650 for a baby turtle.
