Growth, allometry and sexual dimorphism in the Florida box turtle, Terrapene carolina bauri

Male Florida box turtles, Terrapene carolina bauri, grow proportionally longer relative to their height and width, than do females, resulting in a longer, flatter carapace, whereas females develop shorter, higher, and slightly narrower carapaces, possibly as an adaptation to accommodate hard-shelled eggs before oviposition. The subspecies has a typical growth pattern for a North American emydine turtle. Growth is rapid in juveniles, but starts to slow once maturity is reached at an age of 12-13 years. Growth rates approach an asymptote at about age 17 years in males and 16 years in females; very little growth occurs after age 20 years. Florida T. c. bauri grows at a slower annual rate than does T. c. carolina from Maryland despite having a longer annual activity and growth period. The data presented here may be considered to represent the average growth pattern for T. c. bauri in Florida. The cervical scute and all vertebral scutes have a greater width:length ratio in juveniles, but this ratio declines as the scutes lengthen with elongation of the carapace; however, the rare of increase in length varies among the scutes.