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

Endangered

Keeled box turtle

Cuora mouhotii

Keeled box turtle is a turtle in the family Geoemydidae — Cuora mouhotii. The species is endemic to Asia.

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

Appearance

The keeled box turtle's upper shell (carapace) has three large, raised ridges and is serrated on the back end. The lower shell (plastron) is different variations of brown in color, ranging from light brown to dark brown. The upper jaw is strong, while the snout is short and curved.

Range and habitat

Keeled box turtle occurs in Bangladesh, Myanmar (Burma), China, India, Laos, and Vietnam, and also in Bhutan and Thailand. The keeled box turtle is a terrestrial species, and can be frequently found in small caves and rock crevices. It can also be found in forests, in deep layers of leaves.

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

Diet

The keeled box turtle is herbivorous, and eats a wide variety of vegetation in the natural environment, with a preference for wild fallen fruits. It will also occasionally eat worms, snails, and other meat.

In crisis

Keeled box turtle is listed as an endangered species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). The population of the keeled box turtle has been on a steep decline in some areas, particularly Vietnam. Although there are other possible reasons behind this population decline, deforestation and hunting have proven to be a major threat to this turtle especially.

Threats include habitat destruction and degradation during deforestation. In parts of its range it is threatened by overexploitation as it is collected from the wild, especially for food.

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

Keeled 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 Keeled box turtle, Wikidata item Q2391815. 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 Keeled box turtle?
The keeled box turtle (Keeled box turtle; syn. The species is endemic to Asia.
What is the conservation status of Keeled box turtle?
Endangered, as the IUCN category stored on Wikidata for Cuora mouhotii. Confirm the official assessment on iucnredlist.org.
Where does Keeled box turtle live?
It can also be found in forests, in deep layers of leaves.
Why is Keeled box turtle in crisis?
Although there are other possible reasons behind this population decline, deforestation and hunting have proven to be a major threat to this turtle especially.
Is this the IUCN Red List page for Cuora mouhotii?
No. This is a researched catalog account. The Red List is the assessment.
Is Keeled box turtle a pet?
An animal on this catalog is in crisis in the wild. Keeping one is usually the wrong question.