Like other box turtles, the Florida box turtle has a narrow and highly domed shell with a hinged plastron that allows it to close its shell tightly.
However, the Florida box turtle is different in appearance from the other subspecies of Terrapene carolina.
Its carapace has a distinct pattern of yellow stripes that make it easily identifiable.
The coloring of the plastron can vary anywhere from solid yellow to solid black, with any number of variations in between.
This turtle has very sharp claws as well as a sharp beak used for catching small insects and eating fruits, vegetables, and fungi.

The Florida box turtle exhibits significant sexual dimorphism.
On average, males are larger (length and width) than females.
The carapace length of females ranges from 12.1 - 15.8 cm while the average male carapace can be anywhere from 12.8 - 17.3 cm long.
However, female carapaces tend to be taller than those of males.
This is most likely to allow more space to accommodate eggs inside the body cavity.
Like other box turtles, the Florida box turtle has a narrow and highly domed shell with a hinged plastron that allows it to close its shell tightly. However, the Florida box turtle is different in appearance from the other subspecies of Terrapene carolina. Its carapace has a distinct pattern of yellow stripes that make it easily identifiable. The coloring of the plastron can vary anywhere from solid yellow to solid black, with any number of variations in between. This turtle has very sharp claws as well as a sharp beak used for catching small insects and eating fruits, vegetables, and fungi.
The Florida box turtle exhibits significant sexual dimorphism. On average, males are larger (length and width) than females. The carapace length of females ranges from 12.1 - 15.8 cm while the average male carapace can be anywhere from 12.8 - 17.3 cm long. However, female carapaces tend to be taller than those of males. This is most likely to allow more space to accommodate eggs inside the body cavity.
Florida box turtle