Species Overview
| Species |
common name |
Terrapene carolina
Terrapene coahuila Terrapene nelsoni
Terrapene ornata
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Box turtle
Spotted box turtle
Ornate box turtles |
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Eastern box turtle: The color pattern is extremely variable. The carapace is predominately dark brown to black and keeled. It is most commonly streaked with yellow. Though it can have red and orange blotches as well. The plastron ranges from yellow to black...with or without patterns. The skin is dark with yellow to red blotches. Some males have a reddish ting resembling sun burn. They usually have 4 toes on the hind feet, but at times have 3...... Individuals at the edge of their range frequently mate with other subspecies making a positive identification almost impossible.
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Three-toed box turtle: The carapace is typically a uniform olive coloration...keeled, with the plastron a lighter shade. However like Eastern box turtles there are many variations, some carapaces are darker almost brown. Typically they have very few yellow markings. The plastron can also have some black blotches. The head neck and arms have yellow, red and orange blotches. The males are usually more colorful....but I have seen some females with brilliant colors. They are typically more domed than Eastern box turtles with the highest point to the rear of the shell. They usually have 3 toes on the hind feet...sometimes 4.
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Gulf Coast box turtle: This is a larger species. It is elongated and the carapace is keeled. The marginal scutes are flared. The carapace is dark brown to black with dull scattered spots or radiating lines. The plastron is deep brown to jet black...with or without patterns. Males cane have white patches on the head and in some cases the head may be almost white.
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Florida box turtle: The shell is relatively narrow and elongated. There are usually streaks of thin light yellow radiating lines. The plastron is usually a brownish yellow...at times with brown streaks. The head and neck are dark brown with yellow streaks. The male has brown eyes, unlike the other subspecies where the male has red eyes.
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Mexican box turtle: This species is rarely seen in the pet trade. The carapace is domed and elongated. There is a hump on the 3'rd vertebral scute. The carapace is brown with dark brown at the sutures giving the appearance of an outline. The head and neck are grey to brown with occasional light spotting on the sides of the head. Pictures
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Coahulian box turtle: Another species that's rare in the pet trade. The carapace is elongated and very narrow. It is dark brown to olive with most having a worm-like pattern of light yellow. The plastron is yellow to dark occasionally with dark seams and flecking. The head, neck and legs are a uniform grey to olive and lack any patterned markings Pictures
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Ornate box turtle: Ornate box turtles are a small species (4-5 inches) with a flat, domed shell and no central keel. The carapace and plastron are dark brown or black with distinctive yellow striations. As with all subspecies of the genus Terrapene, ornate box turtles have a hinged plastron enabling it to encase its head, limbs, and tail completely inside its shell. This box turtle differs from the T. carolina group because it has a defined pattern of radiating lines on its plastron. The central keel on the carapace, seen in other North American box turtles, is replaced by a yellow line.
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Desert box
turtle: |
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