---
title: "Gewone doosschildpad"
description: "Terrapene carolina — Reptielen. The common box turtle (Terrapene carolina) is a species of box turtle with five existing subspecies."
canonical: https://animalchecklist.com/nl/animal/common-box-turtle
last_updated: 2026-09-20
---

# Gewone doosschildpad

> Terrapene carolina — Reptielen. The common box turtle (Terrapene carolina) is a species of box turtle with five existing subspecies.

- Scientific name: *Terrapene carolina*
- Category: `reptiles` (Reptielen)
- Habitats: `forest` (Bos), `zoo` (Dierentuin en huisdieren)
- iNaturalist observations: 110549
- Wikidata: [Q1044378](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1044378)
- iNaturalist taxon: [39814](https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/39814)

## Names

- en: Common Box Turtle
- de: Carolina-Dosenschildkröte
- es: Tortuga de caja
- fr: Tortue-boîte commune
- nl: Gewone doosschildpad
- pl: Terapena karolińska

## Countries with the most observations

US (106095), BE (4)

## Summary

The common box turtle (Terrapene carolina) is a species of box turtle with five existing subspecies. It is found throughout the Eastern United States and Mexico. The box turtle has a distinctive hinged lower shell that allows it to completely enclose itself, like a box. Its upper jaw is hooked. 
The turtle is primarily terrestrial and eats a wide variety of plants and animals. The females lay their eggs in the summer. Turtles in the northern part of their range hibernate over the winter.
Common box turtle numbers are declining because of habitat loss, roadkill, and capture for the pet trade. The species is classified…

Text: Wikipedia (en), CC BY-SA 4.0 — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Common_box_turtle

## Photo

![Gewone doosschildpad](https://animalchecklist.com/img/animals/common-box-turtle/medium.jpg)

Photo: Matt Neidert · CC0 · inaturalist — https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/46537675

## Machine access

`GET https://animalchecklist.com/api/v1/animals/common-box-turtle?lang=nl` — see [openapi.json](https://animalchecklist.com/openapi.json).