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
Two males of _T. ornata_ that had been removed by me from their normal
home ranges traveled the longest average distance per day (429 feet).
Gravid females in June traveled the next longest average distance per
day (363 feet). The average distances traveled per day by non-gravid
females in June (226 feet) and July (260 feet) and by males (within
their known home ranges) in June (289 feet) were thought to
approximate normal amount of movement under average environmental
conditions. Average distance traveled per day by females in October
(152 feet) was shortest because of frequent and extended rest periods.
Nevertheless, in October actual distances traveled on days of activity
tended to be longer than in any other month. A gravid female traveled
farther in a single day than any other individual of _T. ornata_
observed; she moved along a rock fence for approximately 700 feet,
then left the study area and moved, in a nearly straight line, 1,200
feet across a cultivated field. Then the thread on her trailer was
expended. The total distance moved, therefore, was at least 1,900 feet
and probably more.
[Illustration: FIG. 27. Average distances traveled per day by
males and females at different times of the year, determined by
mapping of thread trails at the Damm Farm. The diagram for
"homing males" represents the distances traveled by two males
removed from their normal home ranges to test homing ability.
The data presented are for an aggregate of 136 days of
trailing. Vertical and horizontal lines represent,
respectively, the range and mean. Open and solid rectangles
represent one standard deviation and two standard errors of the
mean, respectively.]
An adult male at the Reservation traveled 2,240 feet in the 36-day
period from October 16 to November 20, 1954, mostly on a wooded
hillside. Eleven forms found along the route of the turtle's travels
indicated that movement took place on roughly one out of three days in
the elapsed period and demonstrated the sporadic nature of movements
in autumn. The turtle remained active for an undetermined time after
November 20.
Home Range
Data obtained from trailing and various methods of recapture at the
Damm Farm indicated that each individual used only a small part of the
total study area in the course of daily activities and tended to
remain within a restricted area for a long time.
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