Testudines Terrapene ornata -- Ornate Box Turtle
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Testudines Terrapene ornata -- Ornate Box Turtle |
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Search for another IL amphibian or reptile Search for IL amphibians & reptiles by county Go to the INHS Amphibian & Reptile Collection homepage Search the INHS collections data for amphibians & reptiles Search the INHS Type Specimen Data for amphibians & reptiles |  
Purple shade indicates vouchered specimens. Light blue (cyan)
shade indicates photographic records. Yellow shade indicates verified
sighting. |
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Key Characteristics: Moderately high carapace flattened along midline and without keel; hinged plastron patterned with lines radiating from center of each scute. Similar Species: Eastern box turtle, Blanding's turtle. Subspecies: Ornate box turtle, T. o. ornata. Description: Small (up to 13 cm CL) turtle with dark brown carapace, yellow midback stripe and yellow lines radiating from center of each scute (6-8 lines per pleural scute). Plastron patterned with yellow lines on dark scutes. Head sometimes spotted. Male differs from female by having slightly concave plastron and red rather than brown eyes. Hatchling resembles adult, but yellow markings are more like spots than lines. Habitat: Prairies (other than black muck prairie) and open fields in former prairie. Natural History: Tends to be more carnivorous than eastern box turtle, but eats some vegetation. Eats mainly insects, but also snails, earthworms, tadpoles, bird eggs and hatchlings, and carrion. Female lays one or more clutches of 4-6 ellipsoidal, relatively hard-shelled eggs (ca. 35 x 20 mm) in June. Hibernates about two weeks earlier than eastern box turtle, and emerges in spring about two weeks later. Status: Uncommon to rare in much of its range in Illinois (see distribution map, above). |
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