Chinese box turtle

English name: Chinese box turtle, Yellow-margined Box Turtle, Snake-eating turtle, Yellow-margined box turtle, and Golden-headed turtle

Latin name: Cistoclemmys flavomarginata(by John Edward Gray, 1863), Cuora flavomarginata, and Cyclemys flavomarginata

(CC) Photo: Ganggang Hu
Photo by Ganggang Hu, 2001

Taxonomy

Fauna -> Chordata -> Vertebrata -> Reptilia -> Testudinata -> Cryptodira -> Emydidae -> Batagurinae -> Cistoclemmys -> Cistoclemmys flavomarginata

Here is a debate about whether Chinese box turtle should belong to Cuora or Cistoclemmys. Some people suggest moving Chinese box turtle from the former to the later due to its highly terrestrial habit. But since the usage of both Cuora and Cistoclemmys has some standing, there is no final classification yet.

Range and natural habitat

Chinese box turtle live in several provinces of southern China such as Hunan, Henan, Anhui, Hubei, Chongqing, eastern Sichuan, Zhejiang and Jiangsu. It is also found in Taiwan, and Ryukyu Islands of Japan.

They prefer to the banks of mountain streams and shallow, still water in sub-tropical climates.

Identification

Chinese box turtle has a dark brown, high arched carapace with a light stripe on keels. The stripe may fade with age. The underside of the marginal scute is yellow. The top of its head is olive and the sides are light orange with a yellow horizontal strip behind its each eyes.

The name box turtle refers to Chinese box turtle's ability to bring the plastron to the edges of the carapace when in danger, which makes it look like a closed box.

Males have a broader tail and a narrower carapace than females.

Ecology

Chinese box turtle is omnivorous. They will eat snails, slugs, mealworms, earthworms and fishes. Some fruits and veggies like watermelons, strawberries, bananas, tomatoes. Also eggs and cakes.