BODY CONDITION OF EASTERN BOX TURTLES (TERRAPENE CAROLINA CAROLINA) EVALUATED BY COMPUTED TOMOGRAPHY

Area of Science:

• Wildlife Conservation
• Herpetology
• Veterinary Imaging

Background:

• Assessing individual health is crucial for evaluating population sustainability in conservation efforts.
• Eastern box turtles (Terrapene carolina carolina) are a species of interest for conservation, requiring reliable health assessment methods.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine morphometric measurements that best correlate with body fat content in Eastern box turtles.
• To evaluate the utility of computed tomography (CT) for assessing body condition in this species.

Main Methods:

• Sixty-five free-ranging Eastern box turtles were examined across four locations in Illinois over three years (2014-2016).
• Morphometric measurements were taken during physical examinations.
• Computed tomography (CT) scans were utilized to quantify body fat, and 23 linear models were constructed to identify correlations between morphometric data and fat content.

Main Results:

• The study identified a strong positive correlation between body fat content and both mass and carapace width.
• Increased mass and carapace width were indicative of higher fat reserves in Eastern box turtles.
• Computed tomography provided an improved method for body condition assessment compared to previous techniques.

Conclusions:

• Mass and carapace width are reliable indicators for estimating body condition and fat content in Eastern box turtles.
• The findings enable conservationists and researchers to more accurately assess the health of individual turtles and, by extension, population health.
• Computed tomography offers a valuable, albeit not daily-use, tool for enhancing the accuracy of chelonian health assessments.