Natural History of the Ornate Box Turtle, Terrapene ornata ornata AgassizLegler, John M.
Science
Natural History of the Ornate Box Turtle, Terrapene ornata ornata Agassiz
Legler, John M.
Ornate box turtle
In the following summary, the numbers (1 to 5) used to express the
relative abundance of grasshoppers are from Smith (_op. cit._). Maxima
and minima refer to the twelve-year period, 1943-1954. The growth
index for each year (shown as a graph in Fig. 12) appears in brackets
and indicates the percentage of normal growth attained by all turtles
in that year.
_Years Favorable for Growth_
=1954= [126.3]: Growth was better than average for turtles of all
ages. Grasshopper populations were highest (4+) since 1948.
Continuously warm weather, beginning in the last few days of March,
permitted emergence in the first week of April; thereafter conditions
were more or less continuously favorable for activity until late
October. Although there was less than an inch of precipitation in
September, precipitation in August and October was approximately twice
normal and more or less evenly distributed. Warm weather in early
November permitted an additional two weeks of activity.
=1945= [125.5]: This was the second most favorable year for growth and
the second wettest year. Records of growth are all from young turtles
(one to four years old), all of which grew more than average. Daily
maximum temperatures higher than 60 degrees Fahrenheit on 18 of the
last 19 days of March, combined with twice the normal amount of
precipitation in the same period, stimulated early emergence. August
and October were both dry (each with less than one inch of
precipitation) but diurnal temperatures remained warm through the
first week in November and probably prolonged activity of box turtles
at least until then. Grasshoppers were more abundant (3.7) than
normal.
_Years Unfavorable for Growth_
=1944= [83.1]: This was the poorest growing year for the period
considered. The lack of a continuously warm, wet period in early
spring probably delayed emergence until the last week in April.
Temperatures remained warm enough for activity until early November,
but dry weather in September and October probably curtailed activity
for inducing long periods of quiescence; most of the precipitation
that occurred in the latter two months fell in a one-week period
beginning in the last few days of September. Grasshopper populations
were higher (4.0) than normal.
=1953= [85.6]: This was the second poorest growing year and the driest
year in the period considered. Intermittently cold weather in spring
delayed emergence until the last week in April when nearly an inch of
rain fell. Temperatures were higher than normal from June to October.
The period from September to the end of October was dry and the small
amount of precipitation that occurred was concentrated chiefly at the
beginning and end of that period. Temperatures in late October and
early November were lower than normal. Grasshopper populations were
low (2.2).
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account