By: Amelia Basile, NJSOC Education Intern
In the wild, Eastern Box Turtles (Terrapene carolina) are native to all of New Jersey, but unfortunately, people occasionally take them out of their native woodland and meadow habitats to keep them as pets. This was the case for Mo, as he was taken out of his natural habitat by a family that could not give him the right care. He unfortunately became ill and was surrendered to a wildlife rehabilitation center. Once he made a full recovery, Mo found his way into Tanya’s (our Director of Education) care when she was teaching 6th grade in 2000. There he was named Mohammed Ali, after the famous boxer, or Mo for short. Mo made his way to NJSOC along with Tanya in 2018, and has lived here ever since!
Even though box turtles are native to NJ, Mo could not be released back into the wild due to box turtles’ small home ranges throughout NJ. It is unknown exactly where Mo came from, and if he was to be released into the wild, he would likely not survive as he would try to return to his original habitat. This is why it is very important to surrender box turtles that are illegally kept as pets, rather than releasing them back into the wild.
In our nature center, Mo is fed veggies like lettuce and tomatoes, as well as frozen baby mice, superworms and slugs. In the wild, box turtles are omnivores and have a varied diet. This diet consists of a variety of insects, fungi, snails, larvae, fruits, earthworms, and sometimes even small amphibians.
If you look closely, Mo has bright red eyes which indicates he is a male. Male box turtles also have a concave plastron (underside), unlike females. In both females and males, box turtles can be identified by their unique high domed rounded shell (carapace). They also can be identified by their hinged plastron, which acts as a defense trait to escape predators.
Most box turtles live from 20 to 50 years in the wild and reach sexual maturity at 4 to 5 years old. Mo is approximately 50 but has the possibility to live much longer, as he is being cared for in captivity. This is not an excuse to keep box turtles as a pet though!
Box turtles in the wild are listed as a vulnerable species according to the International Union for Concerned Nature’s (IUCN) Red List. In New Jersey, they are a species of special concern. This is due to habitat loss and illegal pet trade which are all anthropogenic (human caused). Box turtles are struggling to keep their population up due to a slow reproductive rate amongst the species.
Mo has given us many great years serving as an education ambassador animal at the NJSOC. We hope to spend many more with him!
References: https://www.iucnredlist.org/fr/species/21641/97428179
