Missouri Animals Three-toed box turtle   (Terrapene carolina) Chordate: Vertebrate: Reptile: Testudines: (Turtles) Native North American turtle Habitat: forest, woodland. Diet: insects, earthworms, berries, mushrooms, weed sprouts. ID Features: 3 claws per hind foot, mottled brown high-domed shell. Natural History: The 3 toed box turtle is so named because it has 3 claws on each hind foot. Unlike many turtles, it can actually close it's shell, the plastron (bottom shell) being hinged. They are found throughout Missouri except the northwest corner. They are omnivorous. They are important to dispersing the seeds of the poisonous mayapple..

The graphics and text are from: The Amphibians and Reptiles of Missouri by Tom R. Johnson, Missouri Department of Conservation, ©1992