When you think of turtles, what comes to mind? You might first think of their hard, protective shells. Or maybe you think about how slowly they move about their environment. Do you think of water too? After all, that is where we see turtles, either swimming in or basking near the water.
Not all turtles in our area are fond of water, however. Two local turtle species — the eastern box turtle and the ornate box turtle — prefer to live their lives on land. Where they are most commonly seen may surprise you.
Terrestrial turtles
Eastern box turtles are likely to be seen roaming through forests and along forest edges. Ornate box turtles prefer prairies, especially prairies with sandy soils.
Words to know
Bask: To lie in the warmth and light of the sun.
Brumate: A state of inactivity that reptiles and amphibians enter into in the winter.
Concave: Rounded inward.
Differentiate: To recognize what makes something or someone different.
Variable: Not consistent or having a fixed pattern.
While box turtles are skilled at life on land, they do still spend time in the water. That's part of what makes them turtles instead of tortoises. They will enter shallow waters during hot, dry weather, and they hunt for food in water. They also soak their shells in water.
Both ornate box turtles and eastern box turtles have domed upper shells, called carapaces. They are called box turtles because of their ability to close up their shells like a box. The underside of their shell, called the plastron, has hinges at the front and back that allow the turtles to pull in their heads, legs and tail and close the shell so they can't be reached inside. It is thought that box turtles probably evolved this adaptation to allow them to protect themselves from predators like opossums and raccoons that can dig into their shell openings.
Who's who?
You aren't likely to confuse eastern box turtles and ornate box turtles because of their habitat, but they can also be differentiated based on appearance. Both have dark-colored shells, but eastern box turtles have variable yellow or orangish splotches as markings. Ornate box turtles have yellow lines that radiate from the center of their shells.
You can also tell the difference between the male and female box turtles based on their eye color. The male box turtles have red eyes, while the eyes of the female turtles are brown. Another difference between males and females can be seen on their plastrons, or bottom shells. While females have flat plastrons, the males' are concave.
The diet of the two turtles are different. Ornate box turtles are mostly carnivorous. They mainly eat insects, worms, snails, tadpoles and bird eggs along with some vegetation. Eastern box turtles primarily eat fungi and berries, but they also eat invertebrates like insects, snails, slugs and worms.
Where do they go in winter?
Like other turtles, box turtles are inactive in the winter. They enter a state of brumation, which is similar to hibernation. During brumation, turtles remain inactive, but they may wake from time to time to drink water before returning to an inactive state.
Eastern box turtles typically brumate in loose soil or at the bottom of a pond. They enter brumation in late October or early November and will remain inactive until spring. Ornate box turtles brumate in similar environments, but their brumation period is a little longer than eastern box turtles. They usually enter brumation two weeks earlier and emerge two weeks later than eastern box turtles.
Neither box turtle species is common across its range, but the ornate box turtle is listed as a threatened species in Illinois. The Forest Preserve monitors the preserves for box turtles, and some ornate box turtles are tracked to monitor their nesting activity.
If you want to get an up-close look at a box turtle, visit the Forest Preserve's Plum Creek Nature Center. The nature center has several animal ambassadors that visitors can see and learn about, including a box turtle named Lilo.
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