SUMMARY

• PREVALENCE: Less common

• ACTIVE PERIOD: Nocturnal & diurnal

• KEY ID FEATURES: Dark brown to black shell, either yellow and green striped body and face, yellow belly, relatively large

• BEHAVIOR: Actively hunt during the day and at night around ponds and slow muddy rivers

• SIZE: Medium/Large - 30-40cm

• IUCN: EN - Endangered

GALLERY

IMPORTANT: Most turtle species in Hong Kong are poached for both the Chinese Medicine and pet trades. You should never reveal location of encountered turtles on social media to reduce the ability of poachers to effectively hunt these extremely vunerable animals.

DESCRIPTION

Relatively large when fully grown with the shell reaching up to 40cm in length, this species is distinct in appearance from other turtle species in Hong Kong due to its size and obvious think yellow and green striped face and body. Plastron (belly shell) is yellow with black squares, though sometimes the black markings can be very faint.

BEHAVIOR

Active during both day and night time, the Chinese Striped Terrapin can be found in muddy ponds and slow moving rivers where is actively hunts fish, carrion, amphibians and crustations. Often seen basking during the day on logs, rocks and at the edges of ponds and rivers.

HABITAT

A low land species found around muddy ponds and slow moving rivers. Due to introduction from the pet and wildlife trafficking trades they can be found all over Hong Kong in small populations.

POACHING

TURTLES ARE HEAVILY TRAFFICKED IN HONG KONG: Poachers, unfortunately are still very active in Hong Kong, regularly trapping rare turtle species to sell to the pet and Chinese Medicine trade. Turtles that end up sold into this trade are killed to become ingredients in traditional medicines. To avoid unintentionally aiding poachers, locations of turtles found in Hong Kong should never be shared on social media, and individuals should never be collected as pets given the potential for disruption to local breeding populations.