Gulf Coast box turtle

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Gulf Coast box turtle
Male 137 Gulf Coast Box Turtle imported from iNaturalist photo 122752120 on 20 August 2025.jpg
Male
CITES Appendix II (CITES) [1]
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Testudines
Suborder: Cryptodira
Superfamily: Testudinoidea
Family: Emydidae
Genus: Terrapene
Species:
Subspecies:
T. c. major
Trinomial name
Terrapene carolina major
(Agassiz, 1857)
Synonyms [2]
List
    • Cistudo major Agassiz, 1857
    • Cistudo carolina var. major
      Boulenger, 1889
    • Terrapene major Baur, 1891
    • Toxaspis major Cope, 1895
    • Terrapene major M.J. Allen, 1932
    • Terrapene carolina major
      Carr, 1940
    • Terrapene major major
      Wilms, 1999

The Gulf Coast box turtle (Terrapene carolina major) is the largest subspecies of the common box turtle (Terrapene carolina).

Contents

Taxonomy and systematics

T. c. major is the most closely related subspecies to the Pleistocene fossil subspecies †T. c. putnami (Giant box turtle). [3] Indeed, T. c. major likely came about as a result of hybridization between T. c. putnami and various other T. carolina subspecies. No physical differences between the two have been found other than T. c. putnami's larger size. As a result, it has been suggested that the two should be considered one and the same, such that T. c. putnami becomes a synonym of T. c. major. [4]

Intergrading with other subspecies of the common box turtle that it shares its range with is not uncommon.

Distribution

The Gulf Coast box turtle is found only along the Gulf Coastal Plain, [3] in the U.S. states of Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, and Mississippi. [5]

Habitat

They are often found around estuaries and swampy regions, near shallow, permanent bodies of water.

Description

The Gulf Coast box turtle has the largest body size out of all the common box turtle subspecies, possibly as a result of its close relation to the extinct giant box turtle (T. c. putnami). Males are larger than females, and have a concavity in the plastron to aid with mounting during mating. Large males may have a midline carapace length of over 20 cm (7.9 in). [3]

Gulf Coast box turtles exhibit a very high degree of morphological variability, which may hinder distinguishing them from sympatric subspecies such as T. c. carolina , T. c. bauri , and T. c. triunguis . [4]

It is generally dark brown or black in color, with yellow striping or blotching, the amount of blotching or striping can vary greatly.

Behaviour

Mating Gulf Coast Box Turtle imported from iNaturalist photo 122752072 on 22 August 2025 (cropped).jpg
Mating

Males are territorial, and fight each other by biting and attempting to flip each other over. Gulf Coast box turtles frequent bodies of water more often than other T. carolina subspecies. [3]

Females roam further and more frequently than males, making them more susceptible to human threats such as vehicle collisions, collection, and land use. [3]

References

  1. "Appendices | CITES". cites.org. Retrieved 2022-01-14.
  2. Fritz, Uwe; Peter Havaš (2007). "Checklist of Chelonians of the World". Vertebrate Zoology. 57 (2): 198–199. doi: 10.3897/vz.57.e30895 . S2CID   87809001.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 Meck, Jessica R.; Jones, Michael T.; Willey, Lisabeth L.; Mays, Jonathan D. (2020-08-31). "Autecological Study of Gulf Coast Box Turtles (Terrapene carolina major) in the Florida Panhandle, USA, Reveals Unique Spatial and Behavioral Characteristics" (PDF). Herpetological Conservation and Biology. 15 (2).
  4. 1 2 BUTLER, JASON M.; DODD, C. KENNETH, JR; ARESCO, MATT; AUSTIN, JAMES D. (2011-04-01). "Morphological and molecular evidence indicates that the Gulf Coast box turtle (Terrapene carolina major) is not a distinct evolutionary lineage in the Florida Panhandle". Biological Journal of the Linnean Society. 102 (4): 889–901. doi:10.1111/j.1095-8312.2011.01625.x. ISSN   0024-4066.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  5. "Terrapene carolina". The Reptile Database. Retrieved 2025-08-22.