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UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS PUBLICATIONS

MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY

Volume 11, No. 10, pp. 527-669, 16 pls., 29 figs.

March 7, 1960

Natural History of the Ornate Box Turtle, Terrapene ornata ornata Agassiz

JOHN M. LEGLER

UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS LAWRENCE

1960

UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS PUBLICATIONS, MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY

Editors: E. Raymond Hall, Chairman, Henry S. Fitch, Robert W. Wilson

Volume 11, No. 10, pp. 527-669, 16 pls., 29 figs. Published March 7, 1960

UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS Lawrence, Kansas

PRINTED IN THE STATE PRINTING PLANT TOPEKA, KANSAS 1960

28-773

Natural History of the Ornate Box Turtle, Terrapene ornata ornata Agassiz

JOHN M. LEGLER

CONTENTS

PAGE

Introduction 531 Acknowledgments 531 Systematic Relationships and Distribution 532 Fossils 534 Economic Importance 534 Study Areas 535 Materials and Methods 537 Terminology 539

Habitat and Limiting Factors 539

Habitat in Kansas 542

Reproduction 543

Mating 543 Insemination 545 Sexual Cycle of Males 545 Sexual Cycle of Females 549 Nesting 554 Eggs 558 Embryonic Development 560 Fertility and Prenatal Mortality 564 Reproductive Potential 565 Number of Reproductive Years 565

Growth and Development 565 Initiation of Growth 565 Size and Appearance at Hatching 566 Growth of Epidermal Laminae 568 Growth of Juveniles 575 Growth in Later Life 578 Annual Period of Growth 580 Environmental Factors Influencing Growth 580 Number of Growing Years 584 Longevity 585 Weight 586 Bony Shell 586 Color and Markings 593 Wear 595

Sexual Dimorphism 595

Temperature Relationships 598 Optimum Temperature 599 Basking 600 Toleration of Thermal Maxima and Minima 601

Hibernation 611