Indochinese/Vietnamese Box Turtle

ANIMAL:
Indochinese/Vietnamese Box Turtle Cuora galbinifrons

Type of Animal:
Turtle

Habitat:
Freshwater areas at high elevations, bushy areas at high elevations, high elevation forests/woodlands, damp woodlands, wetlands

Location(s):
Far S Guangxi, Hainan, N Vietnam, N Laos

Appearance:
High-domed carapace (upper shell) w/ alternating areas of dark brown & yellowish cream stripes radiating from middle of shell, yellow/cream chins/throats, yellowish-grey to yellow-red-orange pointed heads (sometimes w/ black speckling), short snouts, plastrons (bottom shells) have hinges at both ends, males have thicker longer tails

Food/Diet:
Snails, slugs, worms, insects, insect larvae, grubs, fruit, aquatic plants, greens, vegetables, young mice, fish, frogs, lizards, small snakes, berries, leaves

Status in Wild:
Critically Endangered

Conservation:
Breeding in zoos, aquariums, herpetoculture, & breeding centers

Lifestyle:
Solitary

Additional Info:

Called:
Male
Female
Young: Hatchling
Group: Solitary

Weight:
Adult: 1.76-2.64 lbs
Young: 5.08 oz

Gestation:
3 months

Life Span:
50 years

Body Length:
Adult: 7.48-8 in
Young: 4 in

Tail Length:
Male: Longer/thicker
Female: Shorter/thinner

Critically endangered due to overcollection for food/medicine/pet/wildlife trade, water pollution, & habitat loss/destruction.
 
Sometimes hybridize w/ closely related Flowerback/Central Vietnamese/Bourret’s & Keeled Box Turtles. Confusingly, these box turtles also called Flowerbacks.
 
One of the most heavily trafficked turtles in the world.
 
Sexually mature at 10 years old.
 
Rather shy & secretive in the wild.
 
Active at dawn & dusk (crepuscular).
 
Not known to hibernate.
 
Besides also being called Flowerbacks, other names are Flowered Box Turtle, Hundred Flower Box Turtle, Three Hill Box Turtle, & White-Fronted Box Turtle.

Fun Fact(s):
Hinges at both sides of plastron allow them to fully seal themselves in shells.
 
While called box turtles, these animals & other Asian box turtles not closely related to more famous N American Box Turtles.
 
In medicine, eggs/blood/bile added to wine providing particular cures, skin/head eaten alone, shell ground into powder/boiled in water, & urine used as eardrops/consumed as beverage. Various concoctions believed to cure coughs/rectal prolapse/deafness/cancer/everything in between.