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Terrapene ornata is a species of North American box turtle sometimes referred to as the western box turtle or the ornate box turtle. It is one of two recognized species of box turtle in the United States, having two subspecies. The second recognized species of box turtle is the eastern box turtle, Terrapene carolina.
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]
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.
Turtles are fascinating creatures because they can live as long as humans, sometimes even longer. Their slow-moving mannerisms and rigid shield make them unique in the animal kingdom. In Texas ...
Western box turtle, Terrapene ornata, (Agassiz, 1857) Ornate box turtle, Terrapene ornata ornata (Agassiz, 1857) Desert box turtle, Terrapene ornata luteola H.M. Smith & Ramsey, 1952; Yucatán box turtle, Terrapene yucatana (Boulenger, 1895) Box turtles have diploid somatic cells with 50 chromosomes. [5]
The desert box turtle, also known as the Sonoran box turtle, (Terrapene ornata luteola) is a subspecies of box turtle which is endemic to the southwestern United States and northern Mexico. They are generally terrestrial but occasionally take to the water and are most known for their boxy shell and its structural integrity.
[7] [18] Three species are Near Threatened: the diamondback terrapin (Maryland), the ornate box turtle (Kansas), and the common box turtle (Missouri with the three-toed subspecies, North Carolina and Tennessee with the eastern subspecies). [22] [26] [32] All the remaining state reptile species are Least Concern.
Common box turtles are official state reptiles of three U.S. states. 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]