Wild Turtle's Diet

There are more than 300 species of turtles distributed across the world on every continent except Antarctica, and environment conditions their diet. Technically speaking, a true turtle lives a largely aquatic life, which leads to a diet of aquatic plants and animals. Tortoises are land-bound animals and terrapins spend time in both environments, leading to land-based diets. Turtles are generally omnivorous, but some species can be exclusively herbivores while others are exclusively carnivorous.

  1. The Eastern Box Turtle

    • The eastern box turtle is omnivorous, though adults tend to be herbivores by choice and turtles younger than 6 years old tend to be more carnivorous. It lives in the U.S. from Maine to Florida and as far west as Oklahoma. Its diet includes roots, berries, fungi and flowers as well as insects, small fish, worms, snails, salamanders and snakes. They have also been observed eating carrion, including birds and small mammals and even dead cows.

    The Alligator Snapping Turtle

    • The alligator snapping turtle is largely an aquatic carnivore, feeding on smaller animals that live in rivers and swamps that drain into the Gulf of Mexico, although it will eat some aquatic plants. It has a tongue with a worm-like appendage that it uses to lure fish. It will also eat snakes, crayfish, snails, clams, worms and other turtles.

    Loggerhead Sea Turtles

    • Loggerhead sea turtles are carnivorous and live most of their lives in the open ocean, going on land only to lay eggs. Their diet consists of jellyfish, mollusks, fish and other marine animals they can crush in their jaws.

    Painted Turtles

    • Painted turtles live in lakes, ponds and slow rivers across North America and eat larvae and insects that ride the surface of calm bodies of water when they are young. Mature painted turtles will tend to favor lilies, algae and duckweed, but will also eat tadpoles, fish and other small animals.

    Map Turtle

    • Map turtles are found in the United States in watershed systems east of the Rockies. They are largely carnivorous, especially as adults, though they take in some duckweed and water plants as part of their aquatic lifestyle. However, most of their diet consists of insects, snails, worms and crayfish.

    Radiated Tortoise

    • The radiated tortoise lives its entire life on the land and is strictly a vegetarian. It will eat grasses, succulent plants and fruit when available. It also enjoys eating cactus.

    The Diamondback Terrapin

    • Diamondback terrapins are carnivores native to the Chesapeake Bay. They have powerful jaws for crushing the shells of crustaceans, but they will eat small fish and mollusks as well.