Chinese Stripe Neck-ed Turtle (Mauremys Sinensis)
Conservation status
IUCN: Red List: Less Concern
Key Descriptions
A freshwater turtle most prominent for the yellow & black lines which adorn its neck, the Chinese stripe-necked turtle is a resilient & highly adaptive species with muscular limbs & fully webbed feet make them exceptionally strong swimmers even in rivers with strong currents. They hail naturally from southern China, including Taiwan & Hainan to Northern Vietnam.
Habitat
Well adapted to a wide range of climate conditions including temperate, subtropical & tropical zones, the Chinese stripe – necked turtle hails primarily from eastern China southward to central Vietnam. They are most commonly found inhabiting shallow, low current waters such as lakes, swamps & rivers where substrate generally encompasses soft mud or clay bottoms.
Social Life
They are mainly social animals. Hatchlings are predominantly carnivorous in nature as they require a high protein intake to supplement their growth. Feeding behaviour divulges as the turtles reach adulthood with males primarily leaning towards a carnivorous diet including snails & insects while the females forage for aquatic plants growing on the edge of rivers.
Fun Facts
- It is one of the two most commonly found species used for divination that have been recovered from Shang dynasty sites, despite the Shang capital being over 1000 km north of its modern-day distribution range.
- You can differentiate between adult males and adult females because the females will be bigger, and the males will also feature a plastron that is slightly concave.
- After mating, the female turtle may lay 5-20 eggs that hatch about 60 days when needed.
Diet
Vegetables, Fish & other small aquatic animals
Key Information
| Origin: | S.China, Taiwan,Laos |
| Size: | Up to 24cm |
| Weight: | Up to 2.5kg |
| Lifespan: | Up to 20 years |