You must be familiar with China's endemic species of box turtles. But what I am going to talk about today is not it, but it is similar to it, and it is also a species of turtle that can shrink its whole body in its shell - the Florida box turtle.

Then, the editor will give you some popular information about the Florida box turtle, let's take a look~

1. Basic information

【Chinese Literature Name: Florida Box Turtle

[Latin name] Terrapene carolina bauri

[English name] Florida Box Turtle

[Kingdom] Animalia

【phylum】Chordates

【Class】Reptiles

【Order】 Turtles

【Family】Turtoidae

【Genus】Box turtle

【Subspecies】Carolina box turtle subspecies

【Main distribution】Florida, USA

【Lifespan】 80-120 years

II. Appearance characteristics

The Florida box turtle is small in size; its carapace is high, the background color is mostly black, and the top is covered with cloth Full of yellow radiating stripes (varies in number); carapace has a central ridge; edges of carapace are usually turned outwards.

The plastron is light yellow, and each scutellum has black plaques. There is a ligament connection between the thoracic shield and the abdominal shield, which can be completely closed; It has four claws with yellow scales; the tail is short.

III. Habits

1. Habitat

Florida box turtles mainly live in forests and swampy areas with high humidity, and their water quality is not very good.

2. Dietary habits

Although Florida box turtles are omnivorous, they prefer to eat insects and occasionally plants.

3. Breeding method

The reproductive method of the Florida box turtle is oviparous. Female turtles can lay eggs 1-2 times a year, and each time they lay 2-4 eggs. At a temperature of 28-29 degrees Celsius, the eggs hatch in about 60 days.

4. Discrimination between males and females

1. Tail: male turtles have longer and thicker tails, while female turtles have shorter and thinner tails.

2. Eye Color: The eye color of male turtles is usually bright red or orange, and the color of female turtle eyes is dark red or brown.

V. Differences from the painted box turtle

Although the carapace patterns of the Florida box turtle and the painted box turtle are similar, they are also different. The details are as follows:

1. Carapace: The carapace of the Florida box turtle is taller than that of the painted box turtle.

2. Size: The Florida box turtle is generally smaller than the painted box turtle.

3. Carapace pattern: The carapace pattern of the Florida box turtle is thinner and more visually radiant, while the carapace pattern of the golden box turtle is thick and messy.

VI. Protection level

The Florida box turtle is a protected species and has been recorded in the Washington Convention (CITES Appendix II).

PS: On October 9, 2018, China rated the Florida box turtle as a Grade II protected aquatic wildlife (wild population only).

Okay , the above is all the information about the Florida box turtle! After reading this article, do you understand them? If you want to know more about other turtles, you can continue to pay attention to this site~