Turtle Tutors
All About Box Turtles
Box turtles, also known as box tortoises, comprise a genus of turtle
native to United States and Mexico. There are currently four recognized
species of box turtles: Common box turtle, Coahuilan box turtle, Spotted
box turtle and Ornate box turtle. The box turtle can be recognized by
its domed shell, which is hinged at the bottom, making it possible for
the turtle to close its shell tightly to keep predators out.
Box turtles have unfortunately seen better days in the wild. Various
factors, most of them human-related such as exports for the pet trade
and loss of habitat are causing the population of box turtles to
dwindle. Because of this, it's important to know about the threat and
what we can do to reverse it.
While it's not only bad for turtle populations, in some states, it's downright illegal. So if you see a box turtle in the wild and it's not injured, your best course of action is to just leave it alone.
Click here to learn more about how YOU can help conserve box turtle populations.