Occurrence Dot Map:

Data from 1386 occurrences (915 museum vouchers). - 705 museum vouchers > 30 yrs. - 210 museum vouchers < 30 yrs. - 471 observations. - 0 literature observations. 920 unique localities.

Collection/Observation Date Quartile Plot:

Collection/Observation by Hour: 1 6 12 18 24

Observation Type: 167 - DOR 275 - AOR 1 - Basking 49 - Active, off-road 10 - Under cover 2 - Dead, off-road

Public Lands Records: 1 - Barber State Fishing Lake and Wildlife Area 2 - Bourbon Wildlife Area 2 - Cedar Bluff Wildlife Area 13 - Cimarron National Grassland 2 - Clinton Lake 1 - Clinton State Park 2 - Clinton Wildlife Area 2 - Crawford State Park 1 - Elk City Wildlife Area 1 - Fort Riley 2 - Geary State Fishing Lake and Wildlife Area 1 - Hollister Wildlife Area 2 - Kansas Ecological Reserves 2 - Kirwin National Wildlife Refuge 11 - Meade State Park 1 - Melvern Wildlife Area 4 - Mined Land Wildlife Area 2 - Montgomery State Fishing Lake 31 - Quivira National Wildlife Refuge 7 - Shawnee State Fishing Lake 1 - Sherman State Fishing Lake and Wildlife Area 1 - Wilson Lake Corps Parks 1 - Wilson Lake Project Lands 3 - Wilson Wildlife Area

Recognition:
A small terrestrial turtle with a typically keeless carapace, and each scute has a pattern of conspicuous radiating light (cream to orange; most often yellowish) lines on both the carapace (upper shell) and plastron (lower shell). The body skin is brownish with light yellowish blotches and spotting on the upper head and arms. Each hind foot has four toes, and the tail may have a dorsal yellow stripe.

Geographic Variation:
Considerable variation in the base coloration (dark to light), amount and thickness of striping, shape and keel of the carapace, and light mottling on the head and arms, however this variation is discordant with respect to geography, and any conbination of these characters can be exhibited by a specimen from anywhere in the state.

Confusing Species:
The Eastern Box Turtle typically possesses a keel on the second to fourth vertebral scutes, and only has three toes on each of its hind feet. The carapace of the Eastern Box Turtle is typically uniformly drab olive in coloration, but occaisionaly specimens (especially young individuals) may exhibit some striping, although it seldom as pronounced as in the Ornate Box Turtle.

Reproduction:
Legler (1960) found that most Kansas males become reproductively mature at 8-9 years (100-109 mm), while females were at 10-11 years (110-129mm).
Egg are laid in early May through mid-June, and about one-third of Kansas females will lay a second clutch in late-June into July (Legler, 1960). Data from nine clutches of 42 eggs from Kansas, had a mean weight of 10.09 g, length 36.06 mm, width 21.71 mm (Legler, 1960). The incubation period lasted 59-70 days. The young typically emerge from the nest (open, well-drained area with a soft substrate) in August or September. Hatchlings are are round and approimately 30 mm in diameter and weigh about 7 g.

Behavior:
In Kansas this species has been observed between 20 February through 13 December. These are certainly extreme examples, and the majority of individuals typically are active from late April through early September.
Daily activitys consist of basking, foraging, and rest. They are primarily active only by day, although during the hot summer months they can occaisionally be found in the early morning or late evening. Legler (1960), working with nearly 500 Orate Box Turtles from Kansas, found the optimum temperature for activity to be 30° C.
When not active, they retreat into the ground next to cover such as a bush, soapweed, rock, or even a mammal burrow.

Food Habits:
Primarily carnivorous. Legler (1960) found that Kansas specimens primarily ate insects (90%). They appear to be esspecially fond of dung beetles. When surpluses of other foods are available however (e.g. mulberries), they are readily fed upon. Metcalf and Metcalf (1970) observed Kansas individuals feeding on grasshoppers, caterpillars, beetles, fish, mammalian carrion (Neotoma), prickley-pear cactus, mulberries, cantaloupes, tomatoes, strawberries, blackberries, green beans, ground-cherry(Physalis), and dandelion. Legler (1960) added that specimens occaisionally eat the eggs of ground-nesting birds when opportunity arises. Elsewhere, they have been reported to be an efficient predator of Spadefoot (Spea) tadpoles (Norris and Zweifel, 1950).

Predators and Defense:
The list of predators on young Ornate Box Turtle is long and consist of all manner of carnivorous mammals, birds, reptiles, and even amphibians. Adults however, have few predators outside of humans. Earnst et al (1994) estimate that more adults are killed by automobiles each year than all other predators combined. Degredation of habitat and the use of pesticides has also been cited as causes of mortality in other areas.
There is considerable demand for this species in the international commercial pet trade, but it is doubtful that many are removed from Kansas for this purpose.

Growth and Longevity:
The largest specimens form Kansas is: KU 18358, Barber County, Hobart M. Smith and Claude W. Hibbard, 2 September 1933, carapace length 154 mm (6 1/8 inches), Collins (1993).
Due to the annual periods of winter inactivity, definate growth rings are apparent on the carapacal surface of Box Turtles. In young individuals this can be a reliable means of determing the age of the specimen, however as the turtles get older the carapace become worn so that the rings are indistinguishable.
The Ornate Box Turtle was studied by Metcalf and Metcalf (1985) in Kansas for 26 years, and they determined the follwing average ages for that population: 56 males, 21.8 years; 59 females, 22.5 years. The oldest turtle in the population was thought to have been 28 years old, and they estimated the population essentially turned over every 25 years. Legler (1960) predicted individuals may live 50 years, however the oldest documented example of this turtle was 42 years old (Ernst et al., 1994).

Taxonomy:
No recent work has occurred on the systematics or taxonomy of this species in Kansas.

Fossil Record:
Pleistocene fossil specimens are known from Seward, Meade, Rice, McPherson, and Jewell counties.

Remarks:
The Ornate Box Turtle is the official State Reptile of Kansas.
Adult females have a yellowish brown iris, while the irises of males are red. The first toe on the hind foot of males are thickened and turned in. The posterior portion of the plastron is flat or convex in females, but is concave in males.
When distrubed the Ornate Box Turtle will typically withdraw into it's shell. When picked up they may scratch, and typically urniate. Over time and with patience, they can be coaxed to slowly open up and look out.

References:
1960. Legler, J. M.. Natural history of the ornate box turtle, Terrepene ornata ornata Agassiz. Univ. Kansas Publ. Mus. Natur. Hist. 11: pp. 527-669.
1970. Metcalf, E. L. and A. L. Metcalf. Observations on ornate box turtles (Terrapene ornata ornata Agassiz). Journal of Herpetology. 12: pp. 411-2.
1993. Collins, Joseph T. Amphibians and Reptiles of Kansas. University Press of Kansas, Lawrence, Lawrence. Pp. 397.
1994. Ernst, C. H., R. W. Barbour, and J. E. Lovich. Turtles of the United States and Canada. Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington, D.C., USA. Pp. .