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June 4, 2023  |  By Ben Ivers

Florida Box Turtle

Florida Box Turtle Live

Florida Box Turtle - IUCN Conservation Status: Vulnerable

The Florida box turtle is only found in southeastern Georgia and Florida

I ran when I first saw this Florida box turtle. I didn’t run away from it; instead, I ran towards it. It was teetering on a ledge about three feet off the ground over a sidewalk. I was too late, and it plopped onto the cement. It looked almost as if it were intentional as it rolled from its upper shell to right side up. I went over to check to make sure that it wasn’t injured from the fall, and I could only see a light scuff on the upper shell. It then scurried off into the underbrush on the other side of the sidewalk and went about its day like nothing had happened.

Eastern Box Turtle

The Florida box turtle is one of the six subspecies of the common box turtle. Wild Boyz Photography wrote an article about the eastern box turtle in one of our black and white galleries. The Florida box turtle has the narrowest range of all the sub-species. It can only be found in the southeastern portion of Georgia down to the Florida Keys. It is also the southernmost dwelling of the common box turtle subspecies.

These turtles are typically found in damp environments like wetlands, marshlands, and near swamps. They are not known to swim, so they aren’t commonly seen in water deeper than their shells. I saw this turtle in an area with high amounts of leaf litter, which they prefer. They also like to be in dense cover and near moist soil, although adults are more likely to be found in open spaces. They are commonly found in flatwoods and mesic (aka mesophytic) hammock. Mesophytic hammock is characterized by live oak, red mulberry, and cabbage palm, but could contain any evergreen hardwood and/or palm species.

Painted Turtle

The Florida box turtle is easily distinguished from the other subspecies of the common box turtle by the yellow stripes that dominate its upper shell. They have a narrow and highly domed shell. The males are typically larger than the females in length and width, but the females are known to have taller shells. They lay eggs from April to early June, and they are known to lay as many as four clutches in a single year. Each clutch can have 1-9 eggs. That means that one female could lay 36 eggs in one year. The eggs incubate over 45-120 days, but the average duration is 60 days.

One female Florida box turtle can lay as many as 36 eggs per year

Did you know?

  • Florida box turtles are omnivores and eat shrubs, herbs, grasses, insects, crustaceans, and fungi.
  • One threat to Florida box turtles is turtle racing.
  • Many turtles die each year from the wildfires in Florida.
  • There is one extinct subspecies of common box turtles. Its scientific name was Terrapene Carolina putnami.
This Month's Gallery
beach black and white florida hammock hiking reptile turtle

Article by Ben Ivers

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Matt Hamas and Ben Ivers here. We are focused on fostering a greater understanding and appreciation of the environment. We endeavor to bring you a unique perspective of the wild. Our photos are being placed here for you to enjoy. Please feel free to download any of the photos for your personal use. We are currently seeking partners for printing and developing photos.

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