Description: The Western Box Turtle is 4-5 inches long. Light lines radiate downward from three centers on each side of carapace; 5 to 9 light stripes on 2nd costal scute, but sometimes there are broken rows of light spots. The plastron (under shell) is always marked with yellow and brown lines. The skin is dark gray and white and the head is dark brown with spots of white or yellow. The mature males obtain a greenish color on the top of the head.

Habitat and Range: Western box turtles are found in the grasslands of South Dakota through Illinois and southward to Arizona and Texas.

Behavior: As a turtle of the plains and prairies, they're often found in sandy areas and able to tolerate more arid conditions than its eastern relatives. They burrow to escape heat, rain storms bring them out in large numbers.

Diet: The western box turtle is omnivorous, feeding on insects (especially beetles), berries, leaves, fruits, and sometimes carrion.

Reproduction: Box turtles generally grow slowly, reaching sexual maturity at between 7 and 10 years of age and 5 or 6 inches in length. Once mature, a female box turtle will lay between 3 and 6 eggs each spring in a shallow nest. The eggs are left unguarded and hatch in the late summer or early fall. Box turtles commonly reach 25-30 years of age, and there are well-documented cases of them living to 40 or even 50 years.

Status in the wild: Western box turtles are listed by The Convention of International Trade in Endangered Species of Fauna and Flora (C.I.T.E.S.) as a threatened species. Permits for their export and import are required. Many states protect their native box turtles and do not allow collection.

Fun Facts:

• Two features useful in telling the sex of box turtles are eye color and plastron concavity. In general male box turtles have very orange or red eyes and a slightly concave plastron, while females have brown or light orange eyes and a plastron that is almost completely flat.

Bibliography: http://www.ben.edu/museum/westernornateboxturtle.asp