Terrapene carolina, commonly known as the Eastern Box Turtle, is native to the eastern United States. Its geographical distribution is expansive, covering regions from the Great Lakes and New England states in the north, down to the Gulf of Mexico in the south, and extending west to parts of Texas, Kansas, and Oklahoma.

Eastern Box Turtles typically inhabit deciduous forests, mixed forests, and occasionally open grassland areas. They are often found in areas with a moist forest floor that includes leaf litter, logs, and underbrush that provide cover and maintain humidity levels. The climate in these habitats ranges from humid continental in the northern parts of their range to humid subtropical in southern regions.

Terrapene carolina is primarily terrestrial, thriving in environments that offer abundant cover and food sources such as insects, worms, berries, and other plant matter. They play a role as both predator and prey within their ecosystem, contributing to the biological control of insects and seed dispersal. The species is known for its ability to adapt to various microhabitats within its range, with some subspecies showing regional adaptations such as differences in shell morphology or activity patterns.