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Life Along a
Prairie River

Exploring the ecology of the wide and sandy rivers of the Great Plains

Box turtles are terrestrial and their high, domed shell, or carapace, and unwebbed feet are adapted for life on land — not water. Box turtles get their name from their hinged shell that allows them to close up like a box, pulling in their head, tail, and legs. The carapace of the ornate box turtle is dark with many yellow lines, which in older turtles may become dull. Although box turtles are not aquatic, they can be found along prairie rivers in the open sandy habitat. Their tracks are easy to spy and if followed you may find the animal that made them. Ornate box turtles also can be found in a variety of open, sandy habitats, such as prairies and woodlands. There box turtles can find their preferred prey of insects, namely grasshoppers, beetles, and caterpillers.

Adult male turtles have red eyes and more colorful heads and forelimbs compared to females. Females generally have brown irises. Box turtles can live for several decades. Each scale, or scute, of a box turtle’s shell has an annual growth ring. For turtles up to 10 years old, the rings are easily counted, but older turtles’s rings may be worn away and not visible. Box turtles mate in the spring and females lay 2-8 white eggs. Hatchlings emerge in 2-3 months; however, some clutches laid in summer may not hatch until the following spring. Box turtles have a small home range of about 2-5 acres. However, juvenile turtles may travel and these are the turtles you see crossing roads in the spring.

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