An adult from Waubaunsee County. Image © Jim Scharosch.
An adult Ornate Box Turtle from Hamilton County. © Travis W. Taggart.
A hatchling Ornate Box Turtle from Butler County. © Travis W. Taggart.
An adult female Ornate Box Turtle from Hamilton County. © Kevin Urbanek.
REPTILIA (Reptiles) TESTUDINES (Turtles) EMYDIDAE (Box and Basking Turtles)

Ornate Box Turtle
Terrapene ornata (Agassiz 1857)
tĕr-ŭh-pē-nē — ŏr-nā-tă


Conservation Status:

State: None

Federal: None
NatureServe State: S5 - Secure
NatureServe National: N5 - Secure
NatureServe Global: G5 - Secure
CITES: Appendix II
Diagnosis:
The terrestrial Ornate Box Turtle is characterized by a short tail, a rigid upper shell, a distinct movable hinge on the lower shell, four claws on each hind foot, and distinct radiating yellow or orange-yellow lines on the dark lower shell. The upper shell is dark brown or reddish brown (sometimes with a yellow line down the middle) and covered with yellow or yellow-orange radiating lines. The head and limbs are dark brown, gray, or greenish, and are covered with yellow or orange-yellow spots. The dark tail may have a yellow stripe on its upper surface. Adult males have red eyes whereas those of females are yellowish brown. The first toe on the hind foot of males is thickened and turned in. The posterior portion of the plastron is flat or convex in females but is concave in males. Male Ornate Box Turtles often have a greenish or yellowish uniformly-colored heads. The heads of females are usually brown. Males have longer, thicker tails than females. The male’s vent (opening to the cloaca) is farther away from his body than the female’s.Females grow slightly larger than males. Box Turtles derive their name from the movable hinge on the plastron that allows them to completely enclose their head and limbs.
Adults normally 100-125 mm (4-5 inches) in carapace length. The largest specimen from Kansas is a female (KU 18358) from Barber County with a shell length of 154 mm (6‌1⁄8 inches), collected by Hobart M. Smith and Claude W. Hibbard on 2 September 1933. This is the maximum carapace length throughout the range (Powell et al., 2016).

Distribution:
A specimen exists for Scott County (CAS-SUA 19241) but is only given to the county, and therefore cannot be mapped precisely. The source of the records mapped by Collins (1993) from Jewell and Neosho counties cannot be determined and are not mapped.
(,   Museum Voucher) (,   Observation) (,   Literature Record) (,   iNat Record), (  Fossil)
Open icons are questionable records; Click on a marker to view details.
Full range depicted by light shaded red area. Export Google Earth (.kml)
  • Occurrence Summary:  
  • 3,370
    Records 
  • 2,702
    Museum Vouchers 
  • 668
    Other Observations 
Some county occurrences indicated below may be too imprecise to map above.
County Breakdown: County Name (# occurrences):
Allen (54); Anderson (53); Atchison (3); Barber (102); Barton (9); Bourbon (49); Brown (3); Butler (93); Chase (56); Chautauqua (22); Cherokee (47); Cheyenne (42); Clark (32); Clay (7); Cloud (4); Coffey (12); Comanche (15); Cowley (74); Crawford (35); Decatur (12); Dickinson (10); Doniphan (5); Douglas (242); Edwards (11); Elk (44); Ellis (134); Ellsworth (16); Finney (298); Ford (34); Franklin (36); Geary (12); Gove (25); Graham (12); Grant (10); Gray (1); Greeley (2); Greenwood (79); Hamilton (44); Harper (46); Harvey (5); Haskell (6); Hodgeman (11); Jackson (5); Jefferson (13); Jewell (1); Johnson (155); Kearney (10); Kearny (3); Kingman (23); Kiowa (29); Labette (45); Lane (5); Leavenworth (26); Lincoln (3); Linn (11); Logan (69); Lyon (26); Marion (9); McPherson (4); Meade (51); Miami (40); Mitchell (1); Montgomery (27); Morris (3); Morton (114); Nemaha (1); Neosho (14); Ness (4); Norton (6); Osage (17); Osborne (3); Ottawa (3); Pawnee (1); Phillips (17); Pottawatomie (30); Pratt (10); Rawlins (23); Reno (32); Republic (1); Rice (11); Riley (59); Rooks (12); Rush (3); Russell (88); Saline (16); Scott (6); Sedgwick (79); Seward (14); Shawnee (43); Sheridan (23); Sherman (3); Smith (1); Stafford (91); Stanton (11); Stevens (10); Sumner (28); Thomas (9); Trego (72); Unknown (27); Wabaunsee (26); Wallace (56); Washington (9); Wichita (2); Wilson (16); Woodson (7); Wyandotte (6);

Fossil History:
Pleistocene fossil specimens are known from Seward, Meade, Rice, McPherson, and Jewell counties.
Fossils from the Butler Spring Local Fauna of Meade County (Pleistocene: Illinoian) (Tihen 1962; Preston 1979; Holman 1995) are assignable to this taxon.

Natural History:
Legler (1960) studied the natural history of this turtle in Kansas, and much of the information on its habitat and breeding in Kansas is from his work.
Although Ornate Box Turtles reach their greatest abundance on the western open prairie, they are equally at home along natural breaks in the grassy vegetation of pastures, open woodlands, and open fields of eastern Kansas. This turtle is active from April to October at air temperatures ranging 60-95°F. With the approach of winter, this turtle digs beneath the ground or enters the dens or burrows of other animals. In open grasslands it may dig to a depth of 18 inches, but in woodland the burrows are as shallow as six inches. Emergence from the burrow during spring is dependent on a period of warm, moist weather.
Ornate Box Turtles are diurnal, spending the daytime basking, feeding, and resting. During an entire day, individuals of this species may travel between 200 and 300 feet, although pregnant females may travel somewhat greater distances. These turtles have an individual home range of about five acres but are not possessive of this plot of land as several turtles utilize the same general area. This species shows a population density of over one per square acre; Rose (1978) reported a population density of two per acre in Lyon County. On 12 May Capron (1987) observed 178 of these turtles on or along a 220-mile stretch of highway between Wellington and Lawrence; near Oxford he found this turtle congregating around springs, seeps, intermittent pools, and still backwaters during hot, dry weather.
Mating in Ornate Box Turtles occurs most commonly in the spring and autumn but may also take place throughout the summer. In courtship the male mounts the female, hooking his claws on the rear edge of her lower shell. The female secures the male's hind limbs by wrapping her own about them. The male positions his cloaca against that of the female, and copulation occurs. When dismounting from the female, the male will often fall on his back but generally can right himself with little difficulty.Nesting and egg deposition occur at least once a year in all females, and probably a third of the females in a population lay a second clutch in the same season. Nesting is most common in June but may occur from May into autumn. Each female lays from two to eight elongate white eggs that hatch in a little over two months. The young become sexually mature at 7-8 years of age and may live to over thirty years of age. Eric M. Rundquist (pers. comm., 1989) recorded a clutch of six eggs laid from 8-10 August by a female from Sedgwick County. Legler (1960) listed a mean clutch size of 4.7 eggs with a third of the adult females producing two clutches per season in the Kansas population he studied.
Legler (1960) found that most Kansas males become reproductively mature at 8-9 years (100-109 mm), while females were at 10-11 years (110-129mm). Ornate Box Turtles do not have sex chromosomes, their gender is determined environmentally by incubation temperature at a critical point in their development. The pivot temperature for determining male vs. female is still unknown. In general, higher temperatures produce more females (Dodd 2001). The Ornate Box Turtle is primarily carnivorous, feeding on beetles, caterpillars, grasshoppers, cicadas, earthworms, and dead vertebrates. It is also fond of berries and other fruits. Thomasson (1980) reported this turtle feeding on a pincushion cactus in Ellis County. It has been suggested that Ornate Box Turtles may be important seed dispersers (Dodd 2001).
Young Ornate Box Turtles are difficult to detect by the typical search methods. This has resulted in researchers (e.g. Dodd 2001) reporting that Ornate Box Turtles possess high hatchling/juvenile mortality. When in fact, this is not known.

Occurrence Activity:
Number of Unique Obervations (=days): 240; Range: 02 Jan to 31 Dec
Remarks:
First reported in Kansas by Cragin (1880), stating the species appears to be common at Manhattan, and westward throughout the State. The earliest existing specimens (MCZ 3992, 184581-4) were collected at Fort Hays by Joel A. Allen on 20 June 1871.
Cochran (1961) lists two specimens from Kansas among the paratypes of Cistudo (=Terrapene) ornata housed in the United States National Museum (USNM 7541 and 7547).
The Ornate Box Turtle became the official State Reptile of Kansas in 1986 due to the efforts of the 6th-grade class at Caldwell Elementary led by their teacher, Larry L. Miller (Simmons 1986).
When disturbed the Ornate Box Turtle will typically withdraw into its shell. When picked up they often expel water, much to the dismay of the captor.
Ornate Box Turtles are not listed as species with conservation concerns and have no special protections in Kansas.
The Ornate Box Turtle is listed by the two worldwide conservation ranking indicators; IUCN Red List ('near threatened') and CITES (Appendix II; not necessarily now threatened with extinction but that may become so unless trade is closely controlled).
The conversion/loss of habitat has had the greatest effect on Ornate Box Turtle populations in Kansas. Currently, automobiles are a leading cause of Ornate Box Turtle mortality when their home range overlaps with highways and many thousands of adult Ornate Box Turtle are crushed on Kansas roads every year. Yet, populations in Kansas appear to be stable.
There are currently 138 'turtle races' conducted annually across Kansas (Alex Heeb pers. comm.). These are common community and organizational events typically conducted in conjunction with fairs and festivals. Ornate and Three-toed Box Turtles are the most commonly utilized species, however, it is not uncommon to have Spiny Softshells, Painted Turtles, Pond Sliders, Snapping Turtles, and even False and Ouachita Map Turtles. While typically well-meaning, the turtles are often held w/o access to food, water, or cover prior to (and during) these events. Event organizers and their participants should ensure that the turtles are not held captive for long periods leading up to the event, kept safe, sanitary, and appropriately fed and watered while in captivity, and released at the point of capture soon after the event.
Box turtles are long-lived and many adults have established home ranges. Tracking studies initially demonstrated that releasing box turtles into a new environment may increase their mortality (Hester et al. 2008) however, more recent studies (e.g. Seibert and Belzer, 2013) have repeatedly shown this isn't always the case.
There are widely-reported accounts that box turtles sequester toxins from the mushrooms they eat, that may then be transferred to organisms (including humans) that ingest box turtles. This myth stems from an anecdote published in Babcock (1919) when discussing the economic importance of box turtles in New England. He wrote "The flesh of this turtle is edible but is not generally used as food. During the coal miners' strike of 1902, in the vicinity of Scranton, Pennsylvania, many miners roamed over the hills and captured and ate turtles which made them sick. It is probable that these were Box Turtles, and the flesh may have been rendered temporarily poisonous to man from a diet of toadstools, of which the turtles are very found and which does not seem to poison them." It was never determined what species of turtles were eaten or that it was the turtles that made these people sick. Furthermore, it has never been shown that box turtles are capable of sequestering toxins in their body. We do know that Native Americans would consume box turtles.
Cragin (1885) remarked that Ornate Box Turtles were so abundant is sections of southern Kansas (e.g. Harper and Barber counties) that they were considered a nuisance. Burt and Hoyle (1934) first commented on the number of individual Ornate Box Turtles that are crushed on highways every year. Capron (1987) observed 178 Ornate Box Turtles (most of them alive) just in the northbound lane of I-35 between Wellington and Lawrence, Kansas (~200 miles) on 12 May 1986. He further states (op. cit.) that he observed 22 Ornate Box Turtles (two-thirds of them alive) on the road between and Oxford and Independence, Kansas (~122 miles) on 2 June 1986. Over a two year span (2004-2005) Taggart (2006; Distribution and status of Kansas herpetofauna) counted every Ornate Box Turtle encountered across the state, resulting in 352 observations. Of those, 177 were discovered alive on the road and 144 were dead on the road. Twenty-three were found active off the road and six were under cover objects (e.g. rocks). Between summer 1984 and through the spring of 1985, Langley (2018) counted road-killed vertebrates on a section of K-254 between Kechi, Kansas and its intersection with K-196 (~32.2 km) and recorded 168 DOR Ornate Box Turtles in 1984 and 256 in 1985 (424 total; 6.6 individuals per 100km of roadway). Ornate Box Turtles were significantly more likely to be killed on road segments that bisected pastures than agriculture lands, and contiguous pastures vs. patchwork landscapes. Of all vertebrates documented, the Ornate Box Turtle only trailed the Eastern Cottontail (Sylvilagus foridanus) with 445 DOR individuals counted.
Taggart (2006; Addendum report to biological inventory of the sandsage prairie) conducted a follow-up survey (to Choate et al. [1981]) in Finney County utilizing the same methods and effort. He discovered 134 Ornate Box Turtles. An increase of 122 (509%) from the previous survey in 1980. One should be cautious in drawing conclusions from such a marked increase, as many local environmental variables contribute to Ornate Box Turtle detectability.
Beltz (1998) reported that two persons (one from Kansas and the other from Louisiana) were charged with the illegally buying and selling more than 1,000 box turtles. Dodd (2001) adds that the two were also convicted, however he does not cite a source. It is not stated where the turtles were collected from or what species they were.
According to Metcalf and Metcalf (1985) , this species probably has a maximum age of 30- 35 years. Based on a captive specimen, Snider and Bowler (1992) reported a maximum longevity for this turtle of 26 years and six months.
Ornate and Three-toed Box Turtles may rarely hybridize where they are sympatric Cureton (2011). The normal color and pattern variation within each species is extensive, and extremes are not infrequently labeled as hybrids. Molecular studies are required to determine their exact identity.


Bibliography:
1880 Cragin, Francis W. A preliminary catalogue of Kansas reptiles and batrachians Transactions of the Kansas Academy of Science 7():112-123
Also listed the Scarlet Snake (Cemophora coccinea) [=Ophibolus doliatus var. coccineus] and Red Salamander (Pseudotriton ruber) [=Spelerpes ruber] from Kansas.
1882 Brons, H. A. Notes on the habits of some western snakes. The American Naturalist 16(7):564-567
1884 Garman, Samuel. The North American reptiles and batrachians. Bulletin of the Essex Institute 16():1-46
1885 Cragin, Francis W. Recent additions to the list of Kansas reptiles and batrachians, with further notes on species previously reported. Bulletin of the Washburn College Laboratory of Natural History 1(3):100-103
1885 Cragin, Francis W. Second contribution to the herpetology of Kansas, with observations on the Kansas fauna. Transactions of the Kansas Academy of Science 9():136-140
1887 Hay, Oliver P. The amphibians and reptiles of Indiana. [Unknown], Irvington, Indiana.. 20pp.
Briefly discusses the abundance of Cistudo ornata (= Terrepene ornata) in Kansas.
1887 Hay, Oliver P. The Amphibians and Reptiles of Indiana. Annual Report of the Indiana State Board of Agriculture XXVII(36):201-227
Briefly discusses the abundance of Cistudo ornata (= Terrepene ornata) in Kansas.
1894 Cragin, Francis W. Herpetological notes from Kansas and Texas. Colorado College Studies Fifth Annual Publication():37-39
Describes a "color variety" (cimarronensis) of Terrepene ornata with reddish (in place of yellow) coloration on the neck and limbs in Kansas and Oklahoma. Reports on a red and black specimen of Sonora episcopa discovered just west of Sun City, Barber County. And an account from 1886 of Anaxyrus debilis in great abundance in Morton and Hamilton counties following rains. He added a single specimen of Anaxyrus debilis from western Barber County, however this observation has never been corroborated.
1895 Taylor, W. Edgar. The box tortoises of North America. Proceedings of the United States National Museum 17(1019):573-588
1916 Householder, Victor H. The Lizards and Turtles of Kansas with Notes on Their Distribution and Habitat. Thesis. University of Kansas, Lawrence. 100pp.
1919 Babcock, Harold L. The turtles of New England. Monographs on the Natural History of New England 8(3):325-431
1927 Burt, Charles E. An annotated list of the amphibians and reptiles of Riley County, Kansas. Occasional Papers of the Museum of Zoology, University of Michigan (189):12
Accounts on forty species known from the vicinity of Manhattan, Riley County, Kansas. There have been several scientific names changes since publication, which is understandable... however, some usages cannot be explained by subsequent taxonomic reappraisals(e.g.  Gastrophryne carolinensis for Gastrophryne olivacea). The writer lists Eumeces (=Plestiodon) obsoletus and E. guttulatus yet correctly reasoning that the latter is the young of the former. Within the account of Tantilla gracilis (a common form) the writer mentions that T. nigriceps was reported from Riley County by Branson (1904) but that the specimens at Kansas State were absent at the time of publication. The Prairie Rattlesnake (Crotalus viridis) was first reported from Riley County by Branson (1904) and is reported by the writer based on a specimen in the museum at Kansas State University by Professor E. A. Popenoe. The Prairie Rattlesnake is not currently native to Riley County, and closest reliable localities are 150 to the west.
1929 Taylor, Edward H. List of reptiles and batrachians of Morton County, Kansas, reporting species new to the state fauna. University of Kansas Science Bulletin 19(6):63-65
Annotated listing of 25 species discovered in southwest Morton County just prior to the Dust Bowl that wreaked havoc on the region and the subsequent creation of the Cimarron National Grassland. Of special note are Heterodon platirhinos, Thamnophis marcianus, and Anaxyrus debilis (all of which have not been found in the area since).
1932 Gloyd, Howard K. The herpetological fauna of the Pigeon Lake Region, Miami County, Kansas. Papers of the Museum of Zoology, University of Michigan 15():389-408
First record of Notophthalmus viridescens from Kansas. Second record (after the type locality) of Pseudacris crucifer from Kansas.
1933 Burt, Charles E. Some distributional and ecological records of Kansas reptiles. Transactions of the Academy of Science St. Louis 26():186-208
1934 Brennan, Lawrence A. A check list of the amphibians and reptiles of Ellis County, Kansas. Transactions of the Kansas Academy of Science 37():189-191
1934 Burt, Charles E. and W. L. Hoyle. Additional records of the reptiles of the central prairie region of the United States. Transactions of the Kansas Academy of Science 37():193-216
1935 Brennan, Lawrence A. Notes on the distribution of Amphibia and Reptilia of Ellis County, Kansas. Thesis. Fort Hays State University, Hays, Kansas. 114pp.
1935 Burt, Charles E. Further records of the ecology and distribution of amphibians and reptiles in the middle west. American Midland Naturalist 16(3):311-366
1936 Hurd, Myron Alec. The reptiles of Cherokee County, Kansas. Thesis. Pittsburg State University, Pittsburg, Kansas. 103pp.
Under the supervision of thesis adviser Harry H. Hall. Report on 38 species (8 turtles, 7 lizards, and 23 snakes)... most unsubstantiated. Interesting inclusion are Crotalus horridus, Crotalus viridis, Kinosternon subrubrum, Opheodrys vernalis, and Phrynosoma cornutum.
1936 Brumwell, Malcolm J. Distributional records of the reptilia and amphibians of Kansas. Privately printed, . 22pp.
County dot maps of the Kansas herpetofauna. This work has been attributed to have been written around 1933, but that may be in error. 
Hypsiglena jani was not known from Kansas until Claude W. Hibbard collected three specimens on the Stevenson Ranch in north-central Clark County (above Clark State Lake) during June 1936 (Hibbard, 1937). Brumwell plotted this locality, which leads me to believe that the 1936 would have been the earliest date this manuscript could have been written.
1937 Grant, Chapman. Herpetological notes from Central Kansas. American Midland Naturalist 18(3):370-372
1937 Brennan, Lawrence A. A study of the habitat of reptiles and amphibians of Ellis County, Kansas. Transactions of the Kansas Academy of Science 40():341-347
1938 Schmidt, Karl P. Herpetological evidence for the postglacial eastward extension of the steppe in North America. Ecology 19(3):396-407
1939 Tihen, Joseph A. and James M. Sprague. Amphibians, reptiles, and mammals of the Meade County State Park Transactions of the Kansas Academy of Science 42():499-512
1940 Brumwell, Malcolm J. Notes on the courtship of the turtle, Terrapene ornata. Transactions of the Kansas Academy of Science 43():391-392
1944 Marr, John C. Notes on amphibians and reptiles from the central United States. American Midland Naturalist 32(2):478-490
1950 Rodeck, Hugo G. Guide to the turtles of Colorado. University of Colorado Museum, Leaflet 7. 9pp.
1950 Smith, Hobart M. Handbook of Amphibians and Reptiles of Kansas. University of Kansas, Museum of Natural History, Miscellaneous Publication (2):336
The first modern herpetology of Kansas. Includes locality dot maps within individual species accounts. Reports 96 species from Kansas (table and text say 97 on p. 10) and 13 "probable but unverified" species and subspecies.
1951 Wolfenbarger, Keith. A. Systematic and Biological Studies on North American Chiggers of the genus Eutrombicula (Acarina, Trombiculidae). Thesis. University of Kansas, Lawrence. 77pp.
1951 Brumwell, Malcolm J. An ecological survey of the Fort Leavenworth Military Reservation American Midland Naturalist 45(1):187-231
Published posthumously. Lieutenant Brumwell died December 14, 1941, as a result of injuries incurred during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. This paper is a condensed version of his thesis for the Master's degree.
1953 Rainey, Dennis G.. Death of an Ornate Box Turtle parasitized by dipterous larvae. Herpetologica 9():109-110
1956 Smith, Hobart M. Handbook of Amphibians and Reptiles of Kansas. Second edition. University of Kansas Museum of Natural History Miscellaneous Publication (9):1-356
Hobart M. Smith's updated second edition of his first (1950) modern herpetology of Kansas. Includes locality dot maps within individual species accounts. Reports 96 species from Kansas (table says 97 on p. 10; text says 98 on p. 10) and 11 "probable but unverified" species and subspecies. The second edition has updated taxonomy, added Plestiodon laticeps, and removed Eurycea tynerensis.
1956 Clarke, Robert F. Turtles in Kansas. Kansas School Naturalist 2(4):1-15
1956 Clarke, Robert F. Identification of Kansas turtles. Kansas School Naturalist 2(4):1-3
1956 Loomis, Richard B. The chigger mites of Kansas (Acarina, Trombiculidae). University of Kansas Science Bulletin 37():1195-1443
Examined 2,628 Kansas reptiles of 48 species consisting of 27 turtles of 4 species, 1,736 lizards of 12 species and 892 snakes of 32 speciesfor chiggers. Eleven species of chiggers were recovered from reptiles.
For amphibians, 1188 individuals of 21 species were examined. Five species of chigger mite were recovered from amphibians.
1958 Smith, Ronald E. Natural history of the Prairie Dog in Kansas. University of Kansas Museum of Natural History, Miscellaneous Publications (16):1-36
1960 Legler, John M. Natural history of the Ornate Box Turtle, Terrepene ornata ornata Agassiz University of Kansas Publications Museum of Natural History 11(10):527-669
1961 Cochran, Doris M. Type specimens of reptiles and amphibians in the United States National Museum. Bulletin of the United States National Museum (220):1-289
1962 Gish, Charles D. The Herpetofauna of Ellis County, Kansas. Thesis. Fort Hays State University, Hays, Kansas. 34pp.
1965 Smith, Hobart M., T. Paul Maslin, and Robert L. Brown. Summary of the distribution of the herpetofauna of Colorado: A Supplement to An Annotated Check List of the Amphibians and Reptiles of Colorado. University of Colorado Studies Series in Biology (15):56
1965 Fitch, Alice V. Sensory cues in the feeding of the Ornate Box Turtle. Transactions of the Kansas Academy of Science 68(4):522-532
1967 Choate, Jerry R. Wildlife in the Wakarusa Watershed of Northeastern Kansas. Kansas Biological Survey, Lawrence. 46pp.
1967 Milstead, William W. Fossil box turtles (Terrapene) from central North America, and box turtles of eastern Mexico. Copeia 1967(1):168-179
1967 Milstead, William W. and Donald W. Tinkle. Terrapene of western Mexico, with comments on the species groups in the genus. Copeia 1967(1):180-187
1969 Milstead, William W. Studies on the evolution of box turtles (genus Terrapene). Bulletin of the Florida State Museum, Biological Sciences 14(1):1-113
1970 Webb, Robert G. Reptiles of Oklahoma. Stovall Museum, University of Oklahoma Press, Norman. 370pp.
1970 Metcalf, Edna L., and Artie L. Metcalf. Observations on ornate box turtles (Terrapene ornata ornata Agassiz). Transactions of the Kansas Academy of Science 73(1):96-117
1971 Bradley, Lawrence E. Subsistence strategy at a late archaic site in south-central Kansas. Thesis. University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas. 117pp.
1971 Preston, Robert E. Pleistocene turtles from the Arkalon Local Fauna of southwestern Kansas. Journal of Herpetology 5(3/4):208-211
1974 Collins, Joseph T. Amphibians and Reptiles in Kansas University of Kansas Museum of Natural History Public Education Series (1):283 pp
Joseph T. Collins first Kansas herpetology. <Need to get species total and principal differences with previous 'version' (= Smith 1956)>
1974 Karns, Daryl, Ray E. Ashton, Jr., and Thomas Swearingen. Illustrated Guide to Amphibians and Reptiles in Kansas: An Identification Manual. University of Kansas Publications Museum of Natural History Public Education Series(2):viii + 18
1975 Rundquist, Eric M. Amphibians and Reptiles of Kingman County, Kansas. Privately Printed, Lawrence, Kansas. 3pp.
Short accounts for twenty-nine recognized amphibians and reptiles from Kingman County, Kansas. With habitat descriptions and for some species, estimates of population density.
1975 Rundquist, Eric M. First KHS field trip yields three county records. Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (7):1-3
Narration of the activities and species found during the KHS field trip to Kingman County, Kansas. From the title of the article, there were three county records were obtained, however, only Plestiodon septentrionalis is indicated as being 'new'.
1976 Rundquist, Eric M. Field checklist (of) amphibians and reptiles of Kansas. Kansas Herpetological Society, Lawrence. pp.
1976 Caldwell, Janalee P. and Gregory. Glass. Vertebrates of the Woodson County State Fishing Lake and Game Management Area. Pages 62-76 in Preliminary inventory of the biota of Woodson County State Fishing Lake and Game Management Area. Report No. 5. State Biological Survey of Kansas, Lawrence. pp.
1976 Grow, David. The KHS goes to Chetopa. Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (13):2-3
Spring field trip (22 May 1976) along the Neosho River.
1976 Blair, W. Frank. Some aspects of the biology of the Ornate Box Turtle, Terrapene ornata. Southwestern Naturalist 21():89-104
1977 Knight, James L. and Joseph T. Collins. The amphibians and reptiles of Cheyenne County, Kansas, Report Number 15. Kansas Biological Survey, Lawrence. 19pp.
1977 Irwin, Kelly J. KHS Ottawa County meeting profitable. Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (20):1-2
1977 Perry, Janice. KHS members achieve goal: Get Cottonmouth. Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (21):3-4
1978 Curl, Richard L. Final Environmental Statement: Milford Lake Kansas operation and maintenance. US Army Corps of Engineers, Kansas City District. 158pp.
Notable mentions: Spotted Salamander, Smooth Green Snake
1978 Warner, M. and R. Wencel. Chikaskia River study held near Caldwell. Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (25):15-16
1978 Skie, Shelley and Martha Bickford. KHS takes to the field in July at Winfield. Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (26):42798
1978 Kern, Anita, Leslie Rice, and Michelle Warner. The turtles of Sumner County, Kansas. Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (27):10-11
1978 Perry, Janice. KHS successful at Miami County State Lake. Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (27):5
1978 Ward, Joseph P. Terrapene ornata. Catalogue of American Amphibians and Reptiles (217):1-4
1978 Collins, Joseph T. and Janalee P. Caldwell. New records of fishes, amphibians, and reptiles in Kansas for 1977. Technical Publication of the State Biological Survery of Kansas 6():70-88
1978 Rose, R. Observations on natural history of the ornate box turtle (Terrapene ornata ornata). Transactions of the Kansas Academy of Science 8(2):171-172
1978 Metcalf, Artie L. and Edna. Metcalf. An experiment with homing in Ornate Box Turtles (Terrapene ornata ornata Agassiz ). Journal of Herpetology 12(3):411-412
1979 Ports, Mark A. Occurrence and density studies of nongame wildlife in southwestern Kansas - May 16-August 16, 1979. Kansas Fish and Game Commission, Pratt, Kansas. 83pp.
1979 Preston, Robert E. Late Pleistocene cold-blooded vertebrate faunas from the mid-continental United States, I. Reptilia: Testudines, Crocodilia. University of Michigan Museum of Palenontology, Papers on Paleontology. (19):1-53.
1979 Gray, Peter and Eddie Stegall. A field trip to the Red Hills. Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (29):6-8
1979 Collins, Joseph T. New records of fishes, amphibians, and reptiles in Kansas for 1978. Technical Publication of the State Biological Survery of Kansas 8():56-66
1979 Metcalf, Edna and Artie L. Metcalf. Mortality in hibernating Ornate Box Turtles, Terrapene ornata. Herpetologica 35(1):93-96
1980 Clarke, Robert F. Herptiles and fishes of the western Arkansas River in Kansas. United States Army Corps of Engineers, Albuquerque, New Mexico. 55pp.
A summary of known information on the amphibian, reptile, and fish faunas of the Arkansas River above Great Bend. The report details associated field activities for procuring fish, however no new surveys for amphibians and reptiles were undertaken. Information on herps from Finney County was provided by Michael Rush (FHSU) and thus made available before the publication of his thesis (Rush, 1981). The western Arkansas River drainage had experienced little attention by herpetologists before this study, and the species accounts reflect that paucity of data. Additionally, the report omits several older records (e.g. for Anaxyrus debilisThamnophis cyrtopsis, and Lampropeltis calligaster) from the westernmost reaches of the Arkansas River drainage in Kansas.
1980 Spencer, Dwight. Spencer, D. 1980. Ross Natural History Reservation: the first twenty years, 1959 to 1979. Emporia State University, Emporia, Kansas.. 64pp.
1980 Collins, Joseph T. New records of fishes, amphibians, and reptiles in Kansas for 1979. Technical Publication of the State Biological Survery of Kansas 9():1-11
1981 Boles, Richard J. D. O. R. Kansas School Naturalist 28(2):1-16
1982 Fitch, Henry S. Resources of a snake community in prairie-woodland habitat of northeastern Kansas. Pages 83-97 in Herpetological communities: A symposium of the Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles and the Herpetologists League, August 1977.  Wildlife Research Reports 12. 239 pp. U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Washington, D. C. pp.
1982 Collins, Joseph T. Amphibians and Reptiles in Kansas. 2nd edition. University of Kansas Museum of Natural History Public Education Series (8):
Joseph T. Collins second Kansas herpetology. <Need to get species total and principal differences with previous 'version' (= Collins 1974)>
1983 Trott, Gene. Chikaskia River wildlife study. Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (52):3-4
1983 Miller, Larry L. Bourbon County field trip well attended and successful. Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (54):6-7
1983 Guarisco, Hank. Repair of the plastron of an Ornate Box Turtle using a rapid polymerizing polyester resin. Animal Keeper's Forum 10():115-116
1983 Collins, Joseph T. New records of fishes, amphibians, and reptiles in Kansas for 1982 . Technical Publication of the State Biological Survey of Kansas 13():9-21
1984 Brown, Kenneth L. Pomona: A plains village variant in eastern Kansas and western Missouri. Dissertation. University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas. 519pp.
1984 Heinrich, Mark L. Herpetofauna of the Konza Prairie Research Natural Area in the Flint Hills region of Kansas with respect to habitat selection. Thesis. Kansas State University, Manhattan, Kansas. 57pp.
1984 Secor, Stephen M. and Charles C. Carpenter. Distribution maps of Oklahoma reptiles. Oklahoma Herpetological Society Special Publication (3):1-57
1984 Schwarting, Nancy. KHS field trip, May 1984. Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (57):3-4
1985 Miller, Larry L. KHS 1985 field trip to Kirwin Reservoir. Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (61):11-12
1985 Lynch, John D. Annotated checklist of the amphibians and reptiles of Nebraska. Transactions of the Nebraska Academy of Science 13():33-57
1985 Metcalf, Artie L., and Edna L. Metcalf. Longevity in some Ornate Box Turtles (Terrapene ornata ornata). Journal of Herpetology 19(1):157-158
1985 Holman, J. Alan and R. George Corner. A Miocene Terrapene (Testudines: Emydidae) and other Barstovian turtles from south-central Nebraska. Herpetologica 41(1):88-93
1985 Packard, G. C., M. J. Packard, and W. H. N. Gutzke. Influence of hydration of the environment on eggs and embryos of the terrestrial turtle Terrapene ornata. Physiological Zoology 58():564-575
1986 Simmons, John E. The Kansas state reptile. Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (64):42926
1986 Collins, Joseph T. New records of amphibians and reptiles in Kansas for 1986. Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (66):9-16
1986 Holman, J. Alan. Butler Spring herpetofauna of Kansas (Pleistocene: Illinoian) and its climatic significance. Journal of Herpetology 20(4):568-569
1987 Simmons, John E. To remember our state reptile. Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (67):12
1987 Capron, Marty B. Selected observations on south-central Kansas turtles Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (67):13-15
1987 Coleman, Keith. Annual KHS Field Trip held at Atchison State Lake. Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (68):5-6
1987 Simmons, John E. September 1987 field trip report. Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (69):42894
1987 Black, Jeffrey H. Do Ornate Box Turtles prey on birds? Bulletin of the Maryland Herpetological Society 23(3):130-132
1988 Collins, Joseph T. New records of amphibians and reptiles in Kansas for 1987. Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (71):13-19
1988 Capron, Marty B. Observations on box turtles, genus Terrapene, in captivity. Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (72):17-19
1988 Miller, Larry L. Harper County KHS field trip well attended. Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (72):5-6
1989 Collins, Joseph T. New records of amphibians and reptiles in Kansas for 1988. Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (75):15-18
1989 Collins, Joseph T. First Kansas herp counts held in 1989. Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (77):11-
1990 Simon, Martin P. and Joseph H. Dorlac. The results of a faunistic survey of reptiles and amphibians of Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks, Pratt. 11pp.
1990 Lardie, Richard L. Kansas threatened species and protection of the Gypsum Hills habitat. Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (80):14-15
1990 Collins, Joseph T. Results of second Kansas herp count held during April-May 1990. Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (81):10-12
1990 Collins, Joseph T. Maximum size records for Kansas amphibians and reptiles. Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (81):13-17
1990 Beltz, Ellin. HerPet-Pourri Bulletin of the Chicago Herpetological Society 25(1):14-16
p. 16 note on the issues occurring between proponents and opponents of the association between the Ornate Box Turtle and Caldwell, KS.
1990 Doroff, A. M., and L. B. Keith. Demography and ecology of an ornate box turtle (Terrapene ornata) population in south-central Wisconsin. Copeia 1990(2):387-399
Compared and contrasted their results extensively with those of Legler (1960) in Kansas (and others elsewhere).
1991 Conant, Roger and Joseph T. Collins. Peterson Field Guide to Reptiles and Amphibians of Eastern and Central North America. 3rd ed. Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston, Massachusetts. pp.
1991 Collins, Joseph T. and Suzanne L. Collins. Reptiles and Amphibians of the Cimarron National Grasslands, Morton County, Kansas. U. S. Forest Service, Elkhart, Kansas. 60pp.
1991 Fitch, Henry S. Reptiles and amphibians of the Kansas ecological reserves. Pages 71-74 in Ecology and Hydrology of Kansas Ecological Reserves and the Baker Wetlands. Multidisciplinary Guidebook 4. Kansas Academy of Science, Lawrence, Kansas. pp.
1991 Collins, Joseph T. New records of amphibians and reptiles in Kansas for 1990. Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (83):7-13
1991 Collins, Joseph T. Results of third Kansas herp count held during April-May 1991. Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (85):9-13
1991 Ernst, Carl H. Terrapene. Catalogue of American Amphibians and Reptiles (511):1-6
1992 Collins, Joseph T. New records of amphibians and reptiles in Kansas for 1991. Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (87):12-17
1992 Collins, Joseph T. Results of the fourth Kansas herp count held during April-May 1992. Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (89):10-
1992 Edds, David R. Observations of the 1992 Sharon Springs rattlesnake roundup. Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (90):11
1992 Taggart, Travis W. Results of the KHS annual field trip to Sheridan County State Lake. Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (90):3-4
1992 Rundquist, Eric M. Results of the KHS 1992 fall field trip. Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (90):4
1993 Collins, Joseph T. and Suzanne L. Collins. Amphibians and Reptiles in Kansas. Third Edition. University Press of Kansas, Lawrence, Lawrence. 397pp.
Joseph T. Collins third Kansas herpetology. <Need to get species total and principal differences with previous 'version' (= Collins 1982)>
1993 Collins, Joseph T. and Rundquist, Eric M. Results of the fifth Kansas herp count held during April-June 1993 . Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (94):7-11
1993 Viets, Brian E. An annotated list of the herpetofauna of the F. B., and Rena G. Ross Natural History Reservation. Transactions of the Kansas Academy of Science 96(1/2):103-113
1993 Ellner, Lisa R., and William H. Karasov. Latitudinal variation in thermal biology of Ornate Box Turtles. Copeia 1993(2):447-455
1994 Ernst, Carl H., John E. Lovich, and Roger W. Barbour. Turtles of the United States and Canada. Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington, D. C. pp.
1994 Collins, Joseph T. New records of amphibians and reptiles in Kansas for 1993. Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (97):15-19
1994 Rundquist, Eric M. Results of the sixth annual KHS herp counts held 1 April-31 May 1994. Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (97):5-14
See, 1994 Rundquist, Eric M. Additions and corrections [to the results of the sixth annual KHS herp counts held 1 April-31 May 1994]. Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (98):4.
1994 Riedle, J. Daren. A survey of reptiles and amphibians at Montgomery County State Fishing Lake. Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (98):11-13
1994 Rundquist, Eric M. Additions and corrections [to the results of the sixth annual KHS herp counts held 1 April-31 May 1994]. Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (98):4
See, Rundquist, Eric M. Results of the sixth annual KHS herp counts held 1 April-31 May 1994. Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (97):5-14.
1995 Holman, J. Alan. Pleistocene Amphibians and Reptiles. Oxford University Press, New York. 243pp.
1995 Trail, Cynthia D. Natural history and habitat use of the Ornate Box Turtle, Terrapene ornata ornata, at a mixed-grass prairie in southwest Nebraska. Thesis. University of Nebraska at Omaha, Omaha, Nebraska. 68pp.
1995 Curtin, Charles G. Latitudinal gradients in biophysical constraints: Implications for species response to shifting land-use and climate. Dissertation. University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin. 71pp.
1995 St. Clair, Robert C. How developmental environment affects life history in box turtles. Dissertation. University of Oklahoma, Norman. 93pp.
1995 Anderson, Lewis, Mark Shaw, Jeff Blodig, and Tom Walker. Report to the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks: Herps encountered during REmap project, summer 1994. Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (99):10-17
1995 Rundquist, Eric M. Results of the seventh annual KHS herp counts held 1 April-31 May 1995. Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (101):11-17
1995 Rundquist, Eric M. Additional KHS herp counts for 1995. Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (102):11-
1996 Miller, Larry L. Results of the KHS 1995 fall field trip. Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (103):3
1996 Rundquist, Eric M. Results of the eighth annual KHS herp counts Held 1 April-31 May 1996. Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (104):6-17
1996 Miller, Larry L. Third graders conduct amphibian and reptile field study. Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (106):15
1996 Miller, Larry L. Many amphibian and reptile species identified during KHS 1996 fall field trip to Wabaunsee County. Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (106):2-3
1996 Rakestraw, J. Spring herp counts: A Kansas tradition. Reptile & Amphibian Magazine (March-April):75-80
1996 Nieuwolt, P. M. Movement, activity, and microhabitat selection in the Western Box Turtle, Terrapene ornata luteola, in New Mexico. Herpetologica 52():487-495
1996 Minx, Patrick. Phylogenetic relationships among the box turtles, genus Terrapene. Herpetologica 52(4):584-597
1997 Rundquist, Eric M. Results of the ninth annual KHS herp counts held 1 April-31 May 1997. Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (108):12-17
1997 Rundquist, Eric M. Addendum to 1997 KHS herp counts. Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (109):14-15
1997 Collins, Joseph T. A report on the KHS fall field trip to the Marais des Cygnes wildlife refuges. Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (110):2-3
1998 Conant, Roger and Joseph T. Collins. Peterson Field Guide to Reptiles and Amphibians of Eastern and Central North America. 3rd ed, expanded. Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston, Massachusetts. pp.
1998 Powell, Robert, Joseph T Collins, and Errol D Hooper Jr. A Key to Amphibians & Reptiles of the Continental United States and Canada. Univ Press of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas. 131pp.
1998 Gamble, Jerre. Marais des Cygnes National Wildlife Refuge Comprehensive Conservation Plan U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Hartford, Kansas. 91pp.
1998 Rundquist, Eric M. Results of the tenth annual KHS herp counts for 1998, held 1 April-31 May. Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (112):11-18
1998 Rundquist, Eric M. KDWP herp sting so far nets nine on Kansas and Federal charges. Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (112):5-6
1998 Beltz, Ellin. HerPET-POURRI Bulletin of the Chicago Herpetological Society 33(1):15-17
1999 Rundquist, Eric M. Kansas Herpetological Society herp counts: A 10 year summary and evaluation. Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (115):42962
1999 Taggart, Travis W. Cherokee County fall 1999 herp count. Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (117):6
Reported Anaxyrus woodhousii was likely A. fowleri.
1999 Beltz, Ellin. HerPet-Pourri Bulletin of the Chicago Herpetological Society 34(12):275-276
References an article in the Box Turtle Research and Conservation Newsletter on the Kansas sting of ornate poaching.
2000 Collins, Joseph T. New records of amphibians and reptiles in Kansas for 1999. Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (119):7-9
2000 Taggart, Travis W. KHS spring field trip sets record for attendance. Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (120):5-5
2000 Rundquist, Eric M. Results of the eleventh and twelfth annual KHS herpetofaunal counts for 1999-2000, held 1 April-31 May. Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (122):11-16
2000 Taggart, Travis W. Results of the KHS 2000 fall field trip. Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (122):6-8
2001 Dodd, C. Kenneth, Jr. North American Box Turtles: A Natural History. University of Oklahoma Press, Norman. pp.
2001 Taggart, Travis W. The KHS 2001 spring field trip: A rainy rendezvous. Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (124):12-14
2001 Schmidt, Curtis J. The amphibians, turtles, and reptiles of the Smoky Valley Ranch, Logan County, Kansas. Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (124):9-11
2001 Taggart, Travis W. Results of the KHS spring field trip west. Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (125):10
2001 Rundquist, Eric M. Results of the thirteenth annual KHS herp counts for 2001, held 1 April-30 June. Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (125):13-16
2001 Kretzer, Justin E. and Jack F. Cully, Jr. Effects of Blacktailed Prairie Dogs on reptiles and amphibians in Kansas shortgrass prairie. Southwestern Naturalist 46(2):171-177
2001 Kazmaier, Richard T. and Robert J. Robel. Scute anomalies of Ornate Box Turtles in Kansas. Transactions of the Kansas Academy of Science 104(3-4):178-182
2002 Kingsbury, Bruce and Joanna Gibson. Habitat Management Guidelines for Amphibians and Reptiles of the Midwest. Publication of Partners in Amphibian and Reptile Conservation, Address not given. 152pp.
2002 Riedle, J. Daren and A. Hynek. Amphibian and reptile inventory of the Kansas Army Ammunition Plant, Labette County, Kansas. Journal of Kansas Herpetology (2):18-20
2002 Ellis, Mark R. Fall 2002 KHS field trip to Washington County. Journal of Kansas Herpetology (2):4-5
2002 Taggart, Travis W. Results of the spring 2002 KHS field trip. Journal of Kansas Herpetology (3):6-7
To the Cimarron National Grassland, in Morton and Stevens counties.
2002 Taggart, Travis W. Results of the KHS 2002 fall field Trip. Journal of Kansas Herpetology (4):11-13
To Washington County, Kansas (also includes ancillary counts from Clay and Marshall counties).
2002 Miller, Larry L. Osage County herp count II. Journal of Kansas Herpetology (4):15
2002 Miller, Larry L. Sumner County herp count. Journal of Kansas Herpetology (4):15
2003 Freeman, Craig C. A natural areas inventory of the Ft. Leavenworth Military Reservation, Leavenworth County, Kansas. II. Open-file Report No. 117. Kansas Biological Survey, Lawrence, Kansas. 199pp.
2003 Fogell, Daniel D. A herpetofaunal inventory of Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve, Homestead National Monument of America, and Pipestone National Monument within the Heartland Inventory and Monitoring Network. National Park Service, Washington, D.C.. 59pp.
This is the version the author submitted to the NPS. Their final publication was modified.
2003 Holm, James A. Microhabitat properties, usage, spatial movements, and home ranges of the Ornate Box Turtle, Terrapene ornata, in the Monahans Sandhills of west Texas. Thesis. Angelo State University, San Angelo, Texas. 74pp.
2003 Suleiman, G. Fort Riley herpetofaunal count. Journal of Kansas Herpetology (5):11-12
2003 Taggart, Travis W. KHS conducts first systematic road survey. Journal of Kansas Herpetology (6):11-12
2003 Taggart, Travis W. Results of the 2003 KHS spring field trip to Wilson County. Journal of Kansas Herpetology (6):2-5
2003 Miller, Larry L. Sumner County herp count. Journal of Kansas Herpetology (7):10
2003 Miller, Larry L. and Suzanne L. Miller. Wakarusa herp count. Journal of Kansas Herpetology (7):10
2003 Collins, Joseph T. Douglas County herp count. Journal of Kansas Herpetology (7):8
2003 Lokke, John L. and Jill Lokke. Cowley County herp count 2. Journal of Kansas Herpetology (7):8
2003 Taggart, Travis W. Logan County herp count. Journal of Kansas Herpetology (7):8
2004 Schmidt, Curtis J. Natural history and status of the exploited Prairie Rattlesnake (Crotalus viridis) in western Kansas and a herpetofaunal inventory of the Smoky Valley Ranch, Logan County, Kansas. Thesis. Fort Hays State University, Hays, Kansas. pp.
2004 Delisle, Jennifer M. and William H. Busby. Biological inventory for vertebrates at Fort Larned National Historic Site of the southern plains network. Natural Heritage Inventory, Kansas Biological Survey, Lawrence. 61pp.
2004 Taggart, Travis W. Kansas Herpetological Society 2004 spring field trip. Journal of Kansas Herpetology (9):2
2004 Taggart, Travis W. Results of the 2004 KHS spring field trip to Logan County. Journal of Kansas Herpetology (10):2-7
2004 Volkmann, Al. Cowley County herp count. Journal of Kansas Herpetology (11):10
2004 Miller, Larry L. Sumner County herp count. Journal of Kansas Herpetology (11):11-12
2004 Taggart, Travis W. Results of the KHS 2004 fall feld trip . Journal of Kansas Herpetology (12):15-16
2005 Taggart, Travis W. Results of the KHS 2005 fall field trip [to Crawford County]. Journal of Kansas Herpetology (16):19-21
2005 Converse, Sarah J., John B. Iverson, and Julie A. Savidge. Demographics of an Ornate Box Turtle population experiencing minimal human-induced disturbances. Ecological Applications 15(6):2171-2179
2006 Taggart, Travis W. Addendum report to biological inventory of the sandsage prairie near Holcomb, Kansas. Sunflower Electric Cooperative, Hays, Kansas. 31pp.
2006 Redder, Alan J., C. Kenneth Dodd, Jr., and Douglas Keinath, and Dave Mcdonald with Takeshi Ise. Ornate Box Turtle (Terrapene ornata ornata): A technical conservation assessment. Species Conservation Project. United States Department of Agriculture, Rocky Mountain Region. 55pp.
2006 Taggart, Travis W. Distribution and status of Kansas herpetofauna in need of information. State Wildlife Grant T7. Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks, Pratt. vii + 106pp.
2006 Wilgers, Dustin J. and Eva A. Horne. Effects of different burn regimes on tallgrass prairie herpetofaunal species diversity and community composition in the Flint Hills, Kansas. Journal of Herpetology 40():73-84
2006 Wilgers, Dustin J., Eva A. Horne, Brett K. Sandercock, and Allan W. Volkmann. Effects of rangeland management on community dynamics of the herpetofauna of the tallgrass prairie. 62():378-388
2007 Taggart, Travis W., Joseph T. Collins, and Curtis J. Schmidt. Estimates of amphibian, reptile, and turtle mortality if Phostoxin is applied to 10,000 acres of prairie dog burrows in Logan County, Kansas. Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks, Pratt. 5pp.
2007 Taggart, Travis W. A biological inventory of the Sunflower Electric Site near Holcomb, Kansas. Journal of Kansas Herpetology 23():11-16
2008 Taggart, Travis W. KHS 2008 spring field trip. Journal of Kansas Herpetology (25):2-3
2008 Hester, Joy M, Steven J Price, and Michael E. Dorcas. Effects of Relocation on Movements and Home Ranges of Eastern Box Turtles Journal of Wildlife Management 72(3):772-777
2009 Murrow, Daniel G. KHS 2009 spring field trip. Journal of Kansas Herpetology (29):42769
2010 Grant, Steven David Spatial ecology and demography of the Ornate Box Turtle in a seasonally burned sand prairie matrix. Thesis. West Texas A&M University, Canyon, Texas. 163pp.
2010 Collins, Joseph T., Suzanne L. Collins, and Travis W. Taggart. Amphibians, Reptiles, and Turtles of Kansas Eagle Mountain Publishing., Provo, Utah. 400pp.
Joseph T. Collins fourth Kansas herpetology. <Need to get species total and principal differences with previous 'version' (= Collins 1993)>
2010 Murrow, Daniel G. Kansas Herpetological Society spring field trip. Journal of Kansas Herpetology (33):2-3
2011 Collins, Joseph T., Suzanne L. Collins, and Travis W. Taggart. Amphibians, Reptiles, and Turtles of the Cimarron National Grassland, Kansas. Second (Revised) Edition. U. S. Forest Service, . pp.
2011 Thatcher, Hank. The Great Turtle Race in Kansas. AuthorHouse, Bloomington, Indiana. 52pp.
The Great Turtle Race in Kansas is based on a true story of a 6th grade class in Caldwell, Kansas, who succeeded in their petition to make the Ornate Box turtle the Kansas state reptile.
2011 Taggart, Travis W. Kansas Herpetological Society 2011 spring field trip to be held in Chautauqua County. Journal of Kansas Herpetology (37):5-7
2011 Taggart, Travis W. Results of the KHS Spring Field Trip to Chautauqua County. Journal of Kansas Herpetology (38):2-4
2011 Taggart, Travis W. Results of the Kansas Herpetological Society 2011 Summer Field Trip to Scott State Park Journal of Kansas Herpetology (39):2
2011 Taggart, Travis W. Results of the Kansas Herpetological Society 2011 Fall Field Trip to Lovewell State Park Journal of Kansas Herpetology (39):4-5
2011 Cureton, James C. II, Anna B. Buchman, Raelynn Deaton, and William I. Lutterschmidt Molecular analysis of hybridization between the Box Turtles Terrapene carolina and T. ornata Copeia 2011(2):270-277
2012 Martin, Bradley T. Molecular phylogenetics and phylogeography of the American Box Turtles (Terrapene spp.). Thesis. University of Texas, Tyler, Texas. pp.
2012 Rohweder, Megan R. Spatial conservation prioritization of Kansas for terrestrial vertebrates. Thesis. Fort Hays State University, Hays, Kansas. 151pp.
2012 Powell, Robert, Joseph T Collins, and Errol D Hooper Jr. Key to the Herpetofauna of the Continental United States and Canada: Second Edition, Revised and Updated. Univ Press of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas. 152pp.
2012 Lee, David S. Hot tracks, fast turtles - The unforeseen consequences of well-intended turtle derbies. Bulletin of the Chicago Herpetological Society 47(10):121-130
2012 Joyce, Walter G., Andrea Petricevic, Tyler R. Lyson, and Nicholas J. Czaplewski. A new box turtle from the Miocene/Pliocene boundary (Latest Hemphillian) of Oklahoma and a refined chronology of box turtle diversification. Journal of Paleontology 86(1):177-190
2013 Baldwin, Mary Kate. “Herps in Havensville” Herp Surveys. Collinsorum 2(3/4):10
2013 Taggart, Travis W. KHS 2012 Spring Field Trip to Bourbon County State Lake. Collinsorum 2(3/4):3
2013 Taggart, Travis W. KHS 2012 Summer Field Trip to Meade County State Park. Collinsorum 2(3/4):3
2013 Taggart, Travis W. KHS 2012 Fall Field Trip to Atchison County State Lake. Collinsorum 2(3/4):4
2013 Taggart, Travis W. KHS 2013 Spring Field Trip to Schermerhorn Park, Cherokee County. Collinsorum 2(3/4):4
2013 Taggart, Travis W. KHS 2013 Summer Field Trip to Coldwater Lake, Comanche County. Collinsorum 2(3/4):5
2013 Taggart, Travis W. KHS 2013 Fall Field Trip to Butler County State Lake. Collinsorum 2(3/4):6
2013 Mardis, Dexter and Kevin Scott. 2013 Kansas Herpetofaunal Counts. Collinsorum 2(3/4):7
2013 Seibert, Susan and William R. Belzer. Diverse movement patterns of North America's Eastern Box Turtle (Terrapene carolina carolina L.). Part 1: Extremes of high and low site fidelity. Reptiles & Amphibians 20(2):53-54
2013 Johnson, Stephen R. Half-time herping on one big prairie. Bulletin of the Chicago Herpetological Society 48(5):65-66
2013 Martin, Bradley T., Neil P.Bernstein, Roger D. Birkhead, Jim F.Koukl, Steven M.Mussmann, and John S. Placyk, Jr. Sequence-based molecular phylogenetics and phylogeography ofthe American box turtles (Terrapene spp.) with support from DNA barcoding. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 68(1):119-134
2014 Martin, Bradley T., Neil P. Bernstein , Roger D. Birkhead, Jim F. Koukl , Steven M. Mussmann and John S. Placyk, Jr. On the Reclassification of the Terrapene (Testudines: Emydidae): A Response to Fritz & Havaš. Zootaxa (3835):292–294
2014 Fritz, Uwe and Peter Havas. On the reclassification of Box Turtles (Terrapene): A response to Martin et al. (2014). Zootaxa (3835):295–298
2014 Taggart, Travis W. Results of the 2014 KHS Spring Field Trip to Barber County Collinsorum 3(2-4):11
2014 Taggart, Travis W. Results of the 2014 KHS Fall Field Trip to Woodson County. Collinsorum 3(2-4):12
2014 Taggart, Travis W. Results of the 2014 KHS summer field trip to Morton County and adjacent Colorado, New Mexico, and Oklahoma. Collinsorum 3(2-4):12
2015 Brown, Kasandra A. Occupancy Modeling Of Herpetofauna And Grassland Nesting Birds At Quivira National Wildlife Refuge. Thesis. Fort Hays State University, Hays, Kansas. 72pp.
2015 Rhodin, Anders G. J., Scott Thomson, Georgios L. Georgalis, Hans-Volker Karl, Igo G. Danilov, Akio Takahashi, Marcelo S. de la fuente, Jason R. Bourque, Massimo Delfino, Roger Bour, John B. Iverson, H. Bradley Shaffer, and Peter Paul van Dijk. Turtles and tortoises of the world during the rise and global spread of humanity: First checklist and review of extinct pleistocene and holocene chelonians. Chelonian Research Monographs (5):66
References Hesperotestudo equicomes (Kansas Tortoise of late Pleistocene), Hesperotestudo campester (Plains Giant Tortoise of late Pliocene to early Pleistocene), Hesperotestudo turgida (Plains Tortoise of early Pleistocene), Pseudemys hibbardi (Hibbard's Cooter of late Pleistocene), Trachemys idahoensis (Idaho Slider of late Pliocene to early Pleistocene), Emydoidea blandingii (Blanding's Turtle of Pleistocene), Terrapene mexicana (Mexican Box Turtle of late Pleistocene), Terrapene ornata (Ornate Box Turtle of late Pleistocene) from Kansas.
2015 Taggart, Travis W. Spring Field Trip to the Greenhorn Limestone of Russell County. Collinsorum 4(3):2
2015 Taggart, Travis W. Summer Field Trip In The Harvey County Sandhills. Collinsorum 4(3):3
2015 Taggart, Travis W. Fall Field Trip Held In Washington County. Collinsorum 4(3):4
2016 Pittman, Galen L., Henry S. Fitch, and W. Dean Kettle. Vertebrate animals on the Fitch Natural History Reservation (1948-2002) Kansas Biological Survey Report Number 188, Lawrence. 48pp.
2016 Powell, Robert, Roger Conant, and Joseph T. Collins. Peterson Field Guide to Reptiles and Amphibians of Eastern and Central North America. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, Boston. 494pp.
2016 Taggart, Travis W. Results of the KHS Summer field trip to Caney River, Chautauqua County, Kansas. Collinsorum 5(2-3):4-5
2016 Taggart, Travis W. Results of the KHS ‘Fall’ field trip to Barber County. Collinsorum 5(2-3):6-7
2016 Dodd, C. Kenneth, V. Rolland, and M. K. Oli. Consequences of individual removal on persistence of a protected population of long-lived turtles. Animal Conservation 19():369-379
Modeled the potential effects of removing adult box turtles from their study site on a Florida barrier island. Predicted that the removal of more than 3.8% adults annually from a stable or declining population would drive that population to extinction within 50 years.
2017 Taggart, Travis W. and J. Daren Riedle. A Pocket Guide to Kansas Amphibians, Turtles and Lizards. Great Plains Nature Center, Wichita, Kansas. 69pp.
2017 Crother, Brian I. (editor) Scientific and Standard English Names of Amphibians and Reptiles of North America North of Mexico, with Comments Regarding Confidence in Our Understanding. Eighth edition. Herpetological Circulars (43):1-102
2017 Mardis, Dexter R. Results from three Herpetofaunal tallies at Wichita State University’s Youngmeyer Ranch in Northwestern Elk County. Collinsorum 6(1):8-10
2017 Taggart, Travis W. Results of the 2017 KHS Spring Field Trip to Elk County, Kansas. Collinsorum 6(2-3):6-8
2018 Johnson, Stephen R. and Mary Stark. Diet of captive Three-toed Box Turtles and the potential to distribute seeds of American Ginseng. Bulletin of the Chicago Herpetological Society 53(5):115-116
Report of an Ornate Box Turtle eating wild strawberries in NE Kansas during the early 1990s.
2018 Vlachos, Evangelos. A review of the fossil record of North American turtles of the clade Pan-Testudinoidea Bulletin of the Peabody Museum of Natural History 59(1):3-94
Has a BUNCH of changes to turtle taxonomy that need to be incorporated.
2019 Powell, Robert, Joseph T Collins, and Errol D Hooper Jr. Key to the Herpetofauna of the Continental United States and Canada. Third Edition. Univ Press of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas. 192pp.
2019 Riedle, J. Daren. Conservation conversations: Coming at you like a herd of turtles. Kansas Wildlife and Parks Magazine July/August():15
2020 Daniel, Richard E. and Brian S. Edmond. Atlas of Missouri Amphibians and Reptiles for 2019. Privately printed, Columbia, Missouri. 86pp.
2020 Riedle, J. Daren. Revisiting Kansas Herpetological Society field trip and Herp Count data: Distributional patterns and trend data of Kansas amphibians and reptiles. Collinsorum 9(1):7-16
2020 Martin, Bradley T., Marlis R. Douglas, Tyler K. Chafin, John S. Placyk, Jr., Roger D. Birkhead, Christopher A. Phillips, and Michael E. Douglas. Contrasting signatures of introgression in North American box turtle (Terrapene spp.) contact zones. Molecular Ecology 29(21):4186-4202
2020 Hullinger, Allison, Zackary Cordes, Daren Riedle, and William Stark. Habitat assessment of the Broad-headed Skink (Plestiodon laticeps) and the associated squamate community in eastern Kansas. Transactions of the Kansas Academy of Science 123(1-2):137-150
2021 Martin, Bradley T. Dynamics of hybrid zones at a continental scale. Dissertation. University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, Arkansas. 241pp.
2021 Rhodin, Anders G. J., John B. Iverson, Roger Bour, Uwe Fritz, Arthur Georges, H. Bradley Shaffer, and Peter Paul van Dijk. Turtles and tortoises of the world during the rise and global spread of humanity: First checklist and review of extinct pleistocene and holocene chelonians. Chelonian Research Monographs (8):1-472
2021 Taggart, Travis W and Sarah L Taggart. Herp Count: Hamilton County: KHS-2020-10. Collinsorum 9(3):13
2021 Taggart, Travis W and Sarah L Taggart. Herp Count: Morton County: KHS-2020-12. Collinsorum 9(3):13
2021 Riedle, J. Daren. Herp Count: Montgomery County: KHS-2020-20. Collinsorum 9(3):14
2021 Schmidt, Curtis J. Herp Count: Russell County: KHS-2020-19. Collinsorum 9(3):14
2021 Taggart, Travis W., Dan Fogell, and Christopher Visser. Herp Count: Russell County: KHS-2020-25. Collinsorum 9(3):15
2021 Martin, Bradley T., Tyler K. Chafin, Marlis R. Douglas, John S. Placyk Jr., Roger D. Birkhead, Christopher A. Phillips, and Michael E. Douglas. The choices we make and the impacts they have: Machine learning and species delimitation in North American box turtles (Terrapene spp.) Molecular Ecology Resources 21(8):2801-2817
2021 Thomson, Robert C., Phillip Q. Spinks, and H. Bradley Shaffer. A global phylogeny of turtles reveals a burst of climate-associated diversification on continental margins. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) 118(7):1-10
2023 Russell, Elisabeth Habitat associations and fine-scale movements of the Red-spotted Toad (Anaxyrus punctatus) in Kansas and the efficacy of remote telemetry for monitoring small-scale movements. Thesis. Fort Hays State University, Hays, Kansas. 81pp.
2024 Heeb, Alex B., Christine Light, Will F. Hanson-Regan, Gina L. Buelow, Jacob B. Heeb, Bruce R. Wolhuter, Aaron F. Ellison, Daisy R. Ellison, Daniel S. Whitney, Jacqui A. Gibson, Dan E. Carpenter, Madeline R. Smith, Shareena K. Schiffelbein, Thaniel P Bentz, Beck S. Lister, Emily N. Melgren, Valerie N. Vester, Alan J. Bartels, Hannah L. Clark, Cailin M. Vermillion, E. O. Jones, Laura C. Priest, Elizabeth I. Houchin, Karoline W. Weston, Lisa M. Prowant, and Holly L. Lackey. Turtle races: A threat to wild turtle populations? Herpetological Review 55(1):11-18
Account Last Updated:
7/8/2024 1:39:18 PM - page took 3.3971337 seconds to load.


Travis W. Taggart © 1999-2025 — w/ Sternberg Museum of Natural History, Fort Hays State University