Data obtained by mapping the movements of turtles that were equipped
with trailing devices made it possible to compare distances traveled
in the course of daily activities at different times of the year. Some
of these data are expressed graphically in Figure 27. It should be
noted that movement at all times in the season of activity was uneven;
that is to say, an individual would move several hundred feet each day
for a period of several days, and then, for an interval of one to
several days, move only a few feet from one shelter to another, or not
move at all. Such periods of rest could not be correlated definitely
with environmental conditions; some individuals were inactive on days
that were probably ideal (in terms of moderately warm temperatures and
high humidity) for activity of box turtles. Analagous rest periods
were noted in _T. carolina_ by Stickel (1950:358).
Two males of _T. ornata_ that had been removed by me from their normal
home ranges traveled the longest average distance per day (429 feet).
Gravid females in June traveled the next longest average distance per
day (363 feet). The average distances traveled per day by non-gravid
females in June (226 feet) and July (260 feet) and by males (within
their known home ranges) in June (289 feet) were thought to
approximate normal amount of movement under average environmental
conditions. Average distance traveled per day by females in October
(152 feet) was shortest because of frequent and extended rest periods.
Nevertheless, in October actual distances traveled on days of activity
tended to be longer than in any other month. A gravid female traveled
farther in a single day than any other individual of _T. ornata_
observed; she moved along a rock fence for approximately 700 feet,
then left the study area and moved, in a nearly straight line, 1,200
feet across a cultivated field. Then the thread on her trailer was
expended. The total distance moved, therefore, was at least 1,900 feet
and probably more.
[Illustration: FIG. 27. Average distances traveled per day by
males and females at different times of the year, determined by
mapping of thread trails at the Damm Farm. The diagram for
"homing males" represents the distances traveled by two males
removed from their normal home ranges to test homing ability.
The data presented are for an aggregate of 136 days of
trailing. Vertical and horizontal lines represent,
respectively, the range and mean. Open and solid rectangles
represent one standard deviation and two standard errors of the
mean, respectively.]
An adult male at the Reservation traveled 2,240 feet in the 36-day
period from October 16 to November 20, 1954, mostly on a wooded
hillside. Eleven forms found along the route of the turtle's travels
indicated that movement took place on roughly one out of three days in
the elapsed period and demonstrated the sporadic nature of movements
in autumn. The turtle remained active for an undetermined time after
November 20.