![]() While reports exist that during their first five to six years, box turtles are primarily carnivorous and adults are mostly herbivorous, there is no scientific basis for such a difference. The diet is amended with fruits (amongst others from cacti, apples and several species of berry) and gastropods ( Heliosoma, Succinea). Invertebrates (amongst others insects, earth worms, millipedes) form the principal component, but the diet also consists for a large part (reports range from 30 to 90%) of vegetation. North American box turtles are omnivores with a varied diet, as a box turtle will "basically eat anything it can catch". racers, cottonmouths) are known to kill box turtles. ![]() Common predators are mammals like minks, skunks, raccoons, dogs and rodents, but also birds (e.g. While the shell of an adult box turtle is seldom fractured, the box turtle is still vulnerable to surprise attacks and persistent gnawing or pecking. The risk of death is greatest in small animals due to their size and weaker carapace and plastron. Delayed fertility has been observed in female turtles during which a box turtle pair will mate and the female will hold onto the male’s sperm within the cloaca for a period of months or even years before fertilizing and laying a clutch of eggs Turtles can defend themselves from predation by hiding, closing their shell and biting. In captivity and in the southern end of their range, box turtles can have more than one clutch per year, while the average clutch size is larger in more northern populations. Box turtle eggs are flexible, oblong and are (depending on the taxon) on average 2–4 cm long weighing 5-11 g. The age of a growing box turtle in the wild cannot be accurately estimated by counting the growth rings on the scutes Their growth is directly affected by the amount of food, types of food, water, illness, and more. The average life span of adult box turtles is 50 years, while a significant portion lives over 100 years. The survivorship curve of box turtles is therefore probably similar to that of other long-living turtles. Once maturity is reached, the chance of death seems not to increase with age. carolina laying eggs Life cycle and predation
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