Box turtles are found in the eastern and central United States, northern Mexico, and the Yucatan. They are small, normally less than seven inches (18 cm) in length, and all are terrestrial except for the Coahuilan box turtle. Box turtles eat a variety of foods, including blackberries, earthworms, insects, mushrooms, slugs, and snails. Both lobes of their lower shells have a common hinge that enables turtles to close their shells tightly. Box turtles are known to have lived 40 to 50 years. The eastern box turtle ranges over much of the eastern United States. It essentially is a woodland species.