DOWAGIAC DAILY NEWS (Michigan) 20 August 03 The box turtle -- our rare neighbor (Larry Lyons)
A while back I was surprised when the Feds officially listed the eastern box turtle as a threatened species. Since I see them all the time I wondered what’s the big whoop? Don't the "experts" get out to see such things? I Îve since learned, though, that we’re blessed by being right in the middle of the box turtle’s last stronghold. Throughout the rest of its range, which is, or was, most states east of the Big Miss, they're all but gone.
One would think the box turtle should technically be called a tortoise for that’s the term used for nearly all land dwelling turtle type critters. Since a box turtle can barely swim at all they should qualify for tortoise status, however, for whatever rationale they are classed as a turtle. They are Michigan's only true terrestrial turtle.
There's always some confusion surrounding the box turtle because they vary so much in color. Most are dark brown and yellow though many lean toward a more orange color. Also, the males are more brightly colored than the females. The males are easily distinguished from the females by their eyes. The guys have pinkish or reddish eyes, the gals brown. Also, the male's plastron, the bottom shell, is concave. The females plastron is flat or slightly convex.
Like most turtles, box turtles lead long lives. The average life span in the wild is around fifty years with some hanging on up to eighty. They reach sexual maturity at about ten years old. You can tell the age of fairly young box turtles by counting the rings on the scutes, the large scales on the top shell. This works up until about twenty years old. Then they quit growing and develop no more growth rings.
Box turtles hibernate during the winter by digging holes in the ground. They emerge early in the spring and its not unusual for them to be caught above ground during a heavy frost. No worries, though. A box turtle can withstand nearly 60 percent of its body fluids frozen for up to 72 hours with no ill effects.
Most mate in April, though they have been known to indulge in a little whoopee in the summer or fall, too. From early June to mid July the females dig nests in open, sandy areas where they lay from three to eleven leathery eggs. This is usually an evening event. The eggs are covered with sand where they incubate from two to three months.
The young hatchlings are grayish brown with small yellow spots. These are rarely seen for they quickly find a hiding spot under forest debris and seldom come out. This is because they are high on many predator's preferred hors d'oeuvre list. Skunks, foxes and raccoons typically account for over seventy percent loss of box turtle eggs. Once the hatchlings emerge, shrews, birds and snakes join in the carnage, again resulting in over 70 percent mortality. Life is tough for young box turtles.
The hatchlings eat mostly insects and worms. As they grow older they add plants in their diets. Adult box turtles eat most everything from insects and slugs to plants, fruit and even carrion.
So why is the box turtle now in such trouble? As usual, it's largely due to habitat loss. Suburban development has overtaken their homeland, fragmenting their range, isolating populations and causing inbreeding. A female’s home range varies from four to 40 acres. Males roam much further. The open, sandy nesting areas are covered by shopping malls and with all the new roads Fords and Subarus have become major predators. Until their recent threatened species status the pet trade was wreaking havoc on them, too. Hundreds of thousands were snatched out of the wild and shipped all over the world.
So far Michigan has not followed the Feds and only designate the box turtle as a special concern specie. However, it is illegal to take them from the wild. When looking for Junior's low maintenance pet you’d best pass on the box turtle. Leave them where they belong and enjoy them for what they are, our very special neighbor.
The box turtle -- our rare neighbor