The Chinese pond turtle is a freshwater turtle native to China and Korea, with three raised ridges on its shell and yellow markings on its head and neck. It is not a wild US species; Americans mostly meet it as a pet. Older males can turn completely black, eyes and all, losing their yellow markings, and the species is also called Reeves' turtle.
Appearance
- Appearance
- Shells are usually about 8–10 in (20–25 cm) long, sometimes over 12 in (30 cm). The brown shell has three raised ridges running lengthwise, the skin is dark gray, and the neck and sides of the head carry yellow markings. Females grow larger than males.
- Seasonal forms
- Older males often darken until the whole body is black and the yellow markings disappear; older females may darken somewhat too.
Where it lives
- Typical habitats
- Ponds
- Marshes
- Slow streams
- Reservoirs
- Range
- Native to China and Korea. It was probably brought to Japan and Taiwan by people long ago. It does not live in the wild in the United States.
- Preferred conditions
- Likes slow water with muddy or sandy bottoms, and climbs onto rocks or logs to bask.
Behavior
- Diet
- An that eats water plants, small fish, snails, crustaceans, and insects.
Life cycle
- Nest
- Females dig nests in sand and may lay one to three clutches in a season.
- Clutch size
- 4–15 eggs
- Lifespan
- Lives about 20 years.
Growing it
- Care
- It is raised in large numbers on turtle farms in China, both for traditional medicine and for the pet trade, and it breeds well in captivity.
Conservation
- IUCN Red List
- ENEndangeredVery high risk of extinction in the wild
- Status
- Wild numbers have fallen because of collection for traditional Chinese medicine and the pet trade, habitat loss, and competition from released red-eared sliders — a turtle native to the US that has become invasive in Asia.
Culture and stories
- Culture and stories
- Its shells are one of the two kinds of turtle shell most often found at Shang dynasty sites in China, where turtle shells were used for divination more than 3,000 years ago.
- The species name, and the name Reeves' turtle, honor the English naturalist John Reeves.
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