Box Turtles are some of the longest lived and slowest reproducing species in the world. When a box turtle first hatches from its egg it is a mere 1.25 inches long. Little is known about the lives of young box turtles because they are so secretive and hard to find. In fact, it is very rare to find a box turtle that is much smaller than about 3.5 or 4 inches long. It is thought, though, that these young turtles spend most of their time concealed in brush and leaf litter and feed primarily on insects. Box turtles generally grow slowly, reaching sexual maturity at between 7 and 10 years old and 4 or 5 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. Although primarily anecdotal, some sources even report box turtles topping 100 years of age.

Text by J.D. Willson