By Will Michael, CTNaturalist.org
If you’re on a hike this October in Connecticut, be on the look out for box turtles Breeding behavior is rare to witness but can occur anytime during the autumn.
Male box turtle
Most of the time, box turtles are not the most exciting creatures to observe. They sit patiently in the leaf litter and wait and there’s no animal more patient than a turtle. However, when its mating season their behavior is much more animated. (Please refer to the video below this article)
Let’s remember the famous poem by Ogen Nash as he commented on turtle reproduction. “A turtle lives betwixt stacked decks. Which practically conceal its sex. I think it clever of the turtle, in such a fix to be so fertile.”
Box turtles do not usually begin breeding until they are at least 10 years old. Females also do not need to breed every year in order to lay eggs. She can store sperm for as many as 4 years. Their life span can reach 100 years or more, so although they mature slowly, they have a lot of time pro-create
Box turtles are the only Connecticut turtle with a hinged plastron (bottom half of the shell). They can completely withdraw themselves into their shell, unlike other turtles that have a fused plastron.
Box turtles can best be found near deposits of deciduous leaves. They nestle into the leaves each night to sleep. These turtle beds make them easy to track. In the morning they crawl away and usually will remain in the same general area.
Male box turtles have bright red eyes, making them easy to identify. Their shells have a more concave shape than females. Her eyes appear orange or brown, and her shell is slightly flatter.
They have a healthy diet consisting of mushrooms, fruits, invertebrates, grass, invertebrates, amphibians, carrion, berries, and even small snakes
The remainder of the year (November – April) is spent in shallow burrows under the leaves. No wonder they live so long, six months out of every year is spent in hibernation!
