Malayan Box Turtle Asian Box Turtle Southeast Asian Box Turtle Malasian Box Turtle Siamese Box Turtle Water Box Turtle

The Malayan Box Turtle's Story

Malayan Box Turtle Asian Box Turtle Southeast Asian Box Turtle Water Box Turtle Siamese Box Turtle

Then everything changed... . He lives with me now. It is my job to provide him with everything he needs to be content, so it became important for me to learn as much as I could about his natural environment, in order to care for the turtle correctly. It would be unkind of me to force highly unnatural, uncomfortable conditions upon an innocent critter. I first heard about aquatic box turtles in Southeast Asia from a co-worker who grew up in South Vietnam. He said he had often seen them swimming in the rice paddies. As a child, he had caught them for fun. At the time I didn't quite believe that they were box turtles, because I had the mistaken notion that all box turtles were primarily terrestrial, as is the case with our North American genus, Terrapene. (Box turtles have a hinged plastron which allows the animal to tuck inside the shell and close up tightly.) When I researched more information on the animal, I found that the "eye witness" was absolutely right--there is one species of box turtle that prefers a very warm, aquatic environment. Its name isCuora amboinensis, or Malayan box turtle. I found this unique creature to be so fascinating that I just had to have one in my personal collection. (There is one similarly aquatic box turtle in North America--Terrapene coahuila --which is an endangered species, not available in the pet trade.)

Quick Facts Taxonomy: class Reptilia , order Chelonia , family emydidae , subfamily batagurinae , genus Cuora , species amboinensis. Four identified subspecies areC. a. amboinensis, C. a. cuoro , C. a. kamarona andC. a. lineata (The turtle pictured at this website is C. a kamarona, a high-domed individual from Vietnam.) Aliases: Malayan box turtle, Malasian box turtle, Celebes box turtle, Indonesian box turtle, Amboina box turtle, Water box turtle, Siamese box turtle, Vietnamese box turtle, Java box turtle, Southeast Asian box turtle, Asian box turtle (Note: Other species of Cuora are also called "Asian box turtles," creating much confusion. Only C. amboinensis is so highly aquatic. Also, while most other Cuora- species range outside of the equatorial rainforest areas, and therefore can tolerate lower temperatures, C. amboinensis does not. So all "Asian box turtles" are NOT the same.) How to identify: There will be three yellow stripes on each side of its head. Carapace is dark olive to black and rather uniform in color. Adults can reach about 8" in length (carapace length). Females can get a bit larger, while males will usually be smaller. A juvenile will have a flattened carapace with 3 prominent keels. Adults gradually lose the keels and the carapace becomes more highly domed. There are differences in carapace shape among subspecies. Cuora amboinensis kamarona has a high-domed shell, while C. a. amboinensis and cuoro have more shallow and elongated carapaces. C. a. lineata has a distinct light colored line on the center keel. Sexing: This can be difficult as the differences are slight and absent until the individuals are mature, at 4 or 5 years of age. Generally, males' plastra are slightly concave. They will also have longer, thicker tails when mature. Longevity: 30 - 35 years. One specimen is reported to have lived 38 years. (Frank & Kate's longevity page) Range: C. amboinensis -is a tropical species with a range entirely within the equatorial rainforest areas of Southeast Asia: Southern Burma, Thailand, SouthVietnam, Malaya, Indonesia and the Philippines. (See Map) The four subspecies occupy different areas within this range. In the wild captured pet trade, many Cuora are currently coming from southern Vietnam.

Meet Taiping Toh, my adult male Malayan box turtle; Isn't he handsome?
How to care for this special turtle
Suggested books and other places to find information
See his vivarium set-up
The photo at right shows the webbed feet of this aquatic box turtle and his adorable smile.   MORE PIX! See Baby Pix here Find out about the other Asian box turtles

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Malayan Box Turtle Asian Box Turtle Southeast Asian Box Turtle Malasian Box Turtle Siamese Box Turtle Water Box TurtleMalayan Box Turtle Asian Box Turtle Southeast Asian Box Turtle Malasian Box Turtle Siamese Box Turtle Water Box Turtle Malayan Box Turtle Asian Box Turtle Southeast Asian Box Turtle Malasian Box Turtle Vietnamese box turtle Java box turtle Siamese Box Turtle Water Box TurtleMalayan Box Turtle Asian Box Turtle Southeast Asian Box Turtle Malasian Box Turtle Java box turtle Siamese Box Turtle Water Box Turtle Cuora amboinensis coura amboinensis mary hopson expert advice