Influence of Season and Sex on Terrapene c. carolina (Eastern Box Turtle) Movements: An Observation of a Population in West Virginia

Environmental conditions influence box turtle movements on multiple temporal scales as they navigate their home ranges. This study focuses on the impacts of seasonal shift and sex on straight-line distances traveled, movements along elevations, and home range sizes in the Eastern Box Turtle, Terrapene c. carolina. Radio telemetry was used to track nine T. c. carolina (5 males; 4 females) from May to October 2010 at Beech Fork State Park in Wayne County, West Virginia. Turtles were tracked once a day at two-day intervals. At each turtle location, microhabitat variables recorded were relative humidity, soil and ground surface temperature, canopy and shrub cover, and substrate type. Results showed seasonal influence (P\u3c0.05) on both home range sizes and distances traveled with no apparent differences between sexes (P\u3e0.05). Movements along elevations were significantly different between sexes (P=0.006) and not strongly influenced by seasonality