Can box turtles swim?
Yes, they certainly can! We are aware that some misinformation on this has been spread around. The culprit seems to be a book, Box Turtle at Long Pond which claims that box turtles cannot swim–specifically, the box turtles native to the US, such as the Eastern box turtle, three-toed box turtle, and ornate box turtles. Their swimming ability has been well-documented, and while they are not as swift and efficent as their more aquatic relatives, such as painted turtles, they can swim decently enough that some research suggests the three-toed box turtle expanded its range by swimming across the Mississippi River! Furthermore, we have personally tested an eastern box turtle in a bathtub, and she was quite able to swim (Jessica’s mother, who lives out of state, has had an eastern box turtle in her home for twenty years).
