136 THE AMERICAN MIDLAND NATURALIST 



Terrapene Carolina (Linne) 

 Box Turtle; Dry-Land Turtle 



Description. — A small turtle attaining a carapace length of about 6 inches. 

 Largest adult Ohio specimen { $ ), had a shell 6^/2 inches in length; smallest 

 newly hatched juvenile, 1 ^/le "iches. Carapace rigid and covered with horny 

 plates; subovate, high and dome-like. Usually a decided outward flare (espe- 

 cially posteriorly) in the region of the legs. Highest part of carapace from 

 43% to 57% of the distance back from the anterior edge. Nuchal small or 

 absent, other scutes normal. Juveniles with a median dorsal keel, traces of 

 which usually may be seen even in the largest adults. Plastron large, com- 

 pletely filling the opening of the carapace and with a transverse hinge between 

 the pectoral and abdominal scutes. 



Head moderate, snout not protruding. Tip of upper mandible projected 

 downward into a beak; lower mandible turned up in front. Tail short. Skin 

 smooth or covered with scales, the latter largest on the limbs. Hind legs with 

 4 claws (3 in one specimen from Lucas County) . Claws of hind limbs espe- 

 cially stout in adult males. 



The color is brown and yellow both above and below and with either 

 predominating. A wide variety of patterns is exhibited, streaks and convolu- 

 tions being most numerous. Usually the same or similar arrangements of the 

 markings are seen on each of the large plates of the carapace. The plastron is 

 clouded or marbled with brown and yellow and often is without any definite 

 pattern; occasional specimens may have the plastron nearly uniformly dark 

 brown or black. The head is patterned with almost any combination of yellow, 

 brown or olive. Males usually have red eyes. The skin is brown or yellow 

 and the scales on the legs are of a somewhat different shade than the sur- 

 rounding skin. 



Four young box turtles which hatched in captivity September 29, 1934, 

 and which were judged to exhibit a more or less typical juvenile appearance, 

 may be described as follows: Carapace dark brown with a yellow spot in the 

 center of each scute except the marginals. The spot, in each of the vertebrals, 

 situated in the center of a strongly rounded prominence; these prominences col- 

 lectively composing the keel. Entire carapace finely peppered with small 

 protuberances which feel sandy to the touch. Plastron yellow but with the 

 central half (in area) brownish black and with extensions of this color running 

 out along the sutures between the plastral plates. Legs brownish black with a 

 longitudinal orange stripe situated in such a position as to be prominently in 

 evidence when the legs are partially withdrawn into the shell. Head brownish 

 black with two small orange spots on the temples and another on the cheeks. 

 Shell soft and with no sign of the plastral hinge. Chin mottled with orange 

 and blackish. 



Total specimens examined, 191; specimens preserved, 63; specimens stud- 

 ied, 32. 



Range. — Maine to Georgia and west to southern Michigan, Illinois and 

 Tennessee. 



