Creatures in Crisis
Photograph of Chinese box turtle (Cuora flavomarginata), recorded as Endangered
Chinese box turtle (Cuora flavomarginata). Image via Wikimedia Commons.

Endangered

Chinese box turtle

Cuora flavomarginata

Chinese box turtle is a turtle in the family Geoemydidae — Cuora flavomarginata, recorded as Endangered.

Status
Endangered
Scientific name
Cuora flavomarginata
CITES
Appendix II
Taxonomy
Testudines · Geoemydidae · Cuora

Appearance

The Chinese box turtle (simplified Chinese: 食蛇龟. Traditional Chinese: 食蛇龜; pinyin: shíshéguī; lit. 'Snake-eating turtle'), also known as the yellow-margined box turtle, or golden-headed turtle, is a Asian box turtle.

Range and habitat

C. Flavomarginata is found in Central China: Hunan, Henan, Anhui, Hubei, Chongqing, eastern Sichuan, Zhejiang & Jiangsu provinces (generally along the Yangtze drainage). It is also found in Taiwan and Japan, specifically the Ryukyu Islands, Ishigaki, and Iriomote.

Pins are Wikidata “endemic to” fields. Orange dots, when present, are GBIF occurrence tiles — survey bias included.

Diet

C. Flavomarginata is omnivorous, and will eat a large variety of foods.

In crisis

The yellow-margined box turtle is considered to be an endangered species by the IUCN. Threats to the Taiwanese population include habitat loss due to expansion of cultivated lands.

CITES lists this taxon on Appendix II. Confirm the current appendix on the CITES checklist.

Chinese box turtle is Endangered on this catalog because that is the IUCN category stored on Wikidata. Confirm the official criteria and any later count on iucnredlist.org.

Sources

Written for this catalog from the English Wikipedia article on Chinese box turtle, Wikidata item Q304894. Family and order context is original field-guide writing about the group, not a copied assessment of this one species. Wikipedia text is CC BY-SA. Not an IUCN assessment. Counts, when quoted, can change — confirm them on the recovery programme and on iucnredlist.org.

Photograph via Wikimedia Commons. Wikipedia · Wikidata · IUCN Red List.

Same genus

Photograph of Bourret's box turtle (Cuora bourreti), recorded as Critically EndangeredCR

Bourret's box turtle

Cuora bourreti
Photograph of Golden coin turtle (Cuora trifasciata), recorded as Critically EndangeredCR

Golden coin turtle

Cuora trifasciata
Photograph of Indochinese box turtle (Cuora galbinifrons), recorded as Critically EndangeredCR

Indochinese box turtle

Cuora galbinifrons
Photograph of McCord's box turtle (Cuora mccordi), recorded as Critically EndangeredCR

McCord's box turtle

Cuora mccordi

Quick answers

What is Chinese box turtle?
Chinese box turtle is a turtle in the family Geoemydidae — Cuora flavomarginata.
What is the conservation status of Chinese box turtle?
Endangered, as the IUCN category stored on Wikidata for Cuora flavomarginata. Confirm the official assessment on iucnredlist.org.
Where does Chinese box turtle live?
It is also found in Taiwan and Japan, specifically the Ryukyu Islands, Ishigaki, and Iriomote.
Why is Chinese box turtle in crisis?
Threats to the Taiwanese population include habitat loss due to expansion of cultivated lands.
Is this the IUCN Red List page for Cuora flavomarginata?
No. This is a researched catalog account. The Red List is the assessment.
Is Chinese box turtle a pet?
An animal on this catalog is in crisis in the wild. Keeping one is usually the wrong question.