Terrapene carolina occurs in a variety of habitats, including open broadleaf forests, field-forest edges, shrubby graslands, marshy meadows, stream valleys, palmetto thickets and other vegetation types. The species is omnivorous, feeding on mushrooms, plant stems, leaves, flowers and fruits, slugs, snails, earthworms and numerous other types of food. Box turtles disperse and facilitate germination of certain plant seeds.

Males reach 23.5 cm carapace length (CL), females 19.8 cm in subspecies major, other subspecies rarely exceed 16 cm CL. Maturity is reached at five to six years / 9-10 cm CL in males, and at seven to eight years / 9-10 cm CL in females of subspecies baurii. Longevity of 50-80 years is probably not unusual, but most animals do not surpass 25-35 years at present. Generation time is probably at the order of 35 years years (Kiester pers. comm. 2009). Reproducing females produce one or two clutches of three to five (range 1-11) eggs per year, but many females do not reproduce each year. Incubation takes about 73 (50-110) days. Hatchlings measure about 30 (27-36) mm (Dodd 2001, Farrell et al. 2006, Ernst and Lovich 2009).

Terrapene carolina mexicana lives mainly in tropical deciduous forest, rarely in mixed pine – deciduous forest or oak forest habitat at altitude (Dodd 2001, P. Lavin pers. comm. 2005). Most reported localities are below 500 m altitude (Smith and Smith 1979), but recoirds exist up to 900 m altitude in the Sierra de Tamaulipas (P. Lavin pers. comm. 2005). No specific information is available on food, feeding or reproduction (Dodd 2001).

Very little information available on the natural history of Terrapene carolina yucatana; preferred habitat apparently is low semi-xeric deciduous scrub forest broken by scattered grassland areas (Smith and Smith 1979); animals are occasionally encountered by rural farmers after slashing and burning of fallow fields before planting (Buskirk 1993). It is active only during the rainy season (June to early November) (Buskirk 1993). Largest recorded animal was 15.9 cm CL (Buskirk 1993), though Lee (1996) indicated up to 20 cm might be possible. Little or no information is available on food and feeding, reproduction, growth or maturity (Lee 1996, Dodd 2001).

Terrapene carolina occurs throughout North America south of the Great Lakes and east of the Rocky Mountains, from southern Ontario, Canada, south to the Florida Keys and Texas, as well as Northeastern Mexico and the Yucatan Peninsula (adapted from Iverson 1992, Dodd 2001).

Terrapene carolina carolina: Extreme southern Maine through Ontario, central Michigan and central Illinois to Georgia.
Terrapene carolina bauri: Peninsular Florida
Terrapene carolina major: southern Mississippi, southern Alabama, and western Florida
Terrapene carolina triunguis: Eastern Texas to southeastern Kansas, southern Missouri, and south-central Alabama.
Terrapene carolina mexicana: Northeastern Mexico, from Tamaulipas through eastern San Luis Potosi and Hidalgo to western Veracruz.
Terrapene carolina yucatana occurs in Campeche, Yucatan and Quintana Roo States of Mexico (Dodd 2001). Old records of occurrence in northern Belize are probably speculative, as no confirmed specimens are known from Belize.

Terrapene carolina is included in CITES Appendix II and is subject to a variety of State legislation and regulations in Canada and the United States. Turtles in general are protected from exploitation under Mexican wildlife and natural resource legislation; implementation is uneven.

The species occurs in a large number of protected areas, some of which are large and remote enough to buffer their resident Box Turtle populations from most impacts. A population of Terrapene carolina mexicana could occur in the Sierra del Abra Tanchipa Biosphere Reserve (217 km², cat. VI; core 167 km², cat. Ia), but no confirmation is available. Individuals and perhaps populations of Terrapene carolina yucatana could occur in a number of protected natural and archaeological sites, but this remains unconfirmed.

Obvious impacts on Box Turtle populations from residential, industrial, recreational and infrastructure developments should minimize impact on these turtle populations, through measures potentially including translocation, wildlife crossings, creation of replacement habitat, awareness, and other actions. Conservation measures for other species and habitat management focused on ecosystem maintenance or restoration must take the specific needs and sensitivities of Box Turtle populations into account, whether forest or fire management. Removal of Box Turtles from, and release of Box Turtles into natural populations should be minimized through appropriate enforcement of legislation and regulations, and through public awareness. Extensive research on status and conservation biology, and monitoring of population trends, is essential for sound conservation management of the species.

Population assessments, basic natural history studies, habitat monitoring, and confirmation of the occurrence of secure populations in protected areas, or establishment of one or more suitable PAs, are urgently needed for Terrapene carolina mexicana and Terrapene carolina yucatana.