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Eastern box turtle in Florida. Eastern box turtles have many uniquely identifying characteristics as part of the box turtle group. While the female's plastron is flat, it is concave in males so the male may fit over the back end of the female's carapace during mating. The front and back of the plastron are connected by a flexible hinge.
Box turtle is the common name for several species of turtle. It may refer to those of the genus Cuora or Pyxidea , which are the Asian box turtles, or more commonly to species of the genus Terrapene , the North American box turtles.
North Carolina and Tennessee honor the eastern box turtle, [14] [15] [16] Kansas adopted the ornate box turtle in 1986. [17] [18] In Pennsylvania, the eastern box turtle made it through one house of the legislature, but failed to win final naming in 2009. [19] In Virginia, bills to honor the eastern box turtle failed in 1999 and then in 2009.
[24] [25] [26] Missouri names the three-toed box turtle. [27] Kansas and Nebraska honor the ornate box turtle. [28] [29] In Pennsylvania, the eastern box turtle made it through one house of the legislature, but failed to win final naming in 2009. [30] In Virginia, bills to honor the eastern box turtle failed in 1999 and then in 2009.
The ornate box turtle is a relatively small turtle, measuring just 4-6″ (10-15 cm) when full-grown. Males and females generally look alike but males are often smaller; there is color variation with yellow lines from the center of the shell to the edges through gray, red-brown, or black coloration. [7]
The male eastern box turtle leans backward and hooks onto the back of the female's plastron. [87] Aquatic turtles mount in water, [88] [89] and female sea turtles support the mounting male while swimming and diving. [90] During copulation, the male turtle aligns his tail with the female's so he can insert his penis into her cloaca. [91]
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Male desert box turtles are normally sexually mature by the time they are 8–9 years of age, but in captivity have been known to breed as young at the age 2. Females normally require 10–11 years to reach sexual maturity and their breeding season lasts between March and May, and nesting sites will be chosen from May to July.