Creatures in Crisis
Photograph of Vietnamese pond turtle (Mauremys annamensis), recorded as Critically Endangered
Vietnamese pond turtle (Mauremys annamensis). Image via Wikimedia Commons.

Critically Endangered

Vietnamese pond turtle

Mauremys annamensis

Vietnamese pond turtle is a turtle in the family Geoemydidae — Mauremys annamensis, recorded as Critically Endangered.

Status
Critically Endangered
Scientific name
Mauremys annamensis
CITES
Appendix I
Taxonomy
Testudines · Geoemydidae · Mauremys

Appearance

It can be distinguished from its relatives by its color pattern: the head is dark with three or four yellow stripes down the side. The plastron (belly shield) is firmly attached, yellow or orange, with a black blotch on each scute.

Range and habitat

Endemic to a small area in central Vietnam, it was reportedly abundant in the 1930s, but all field surveys after 1941 had failed to locate any individuals in the wild. In 2006, a wild population of M. Annamensis was found near Hội An in Quảng Nam Province. A small number are being captive-bred on Hainan Island in southern China, as well as at the Cuc Phuong Turtle Conservation Center located in Cúc Phương National Park in northern Vietnam.

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

Breeding

Captive Vietnamese pond turtles - that are occasionally available to experienced hobbyists, under the auspices of the IUCN-coordinated captive-breeding program - must therefore never be housed with related species.

In crisis

As it was occasionally seen traded as food, it was not yet extinct in the wild however. The species is nonetheless close to extinction in the wild, as illegal hunting seems to continue. Reintroduction programmes of captive bred specimens are currently in progress.

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

Vietnamese pond turtle is Critically 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 Vietnamese pond turtle, Wikidata item Q564443. 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 Chinese stripe-necked turtle (Mauremys sinensis), recorded as Critically EndangeredCR

Chinese stripe-necked turtle

Mauremys sinensis
Photograph of Yellow pond turtle (Mauremys mutica), recorded as Critically EndangeredCR

Yellow pond turtle

Mauremys mutica
Photograph of Chinese pond turtle (Mauremys reevesii), recorded as EndangeredEN

Chinese pond turtle

Mauremys reevesii
Photograph of Red-necked pond turtle (Mauremys nigricans), recorded as EndangeredEN

Red-necked pond turtle

Mauremys nigricans

Quick answers

What is Vietnamese pond turtle?
Vietnamese pond turtle is a turtle in the family Geoemydidae — Mauremys annamensis.
What is the conservation status of Vietnamese pond turtle?
Critically Endangered, as the IUCN category stored on Wikidata for Mauremys annamensis. Confirm the official assessment on iucnredlist.org.
Where does Vietnamese pond turtle live?
The plastron (belly shield) is firmly attached, yellow or orange, with a black blotch on each scute.
Why is Vietnamese pond turtle in crisis?
Endemic to a small area in central Vietnam, it was reportedly abundant in the 1930s, but all field surveys after 1941 had failed to locate any individuals in the wild.
Is this the IUCN Red List page for Mauremys annamensis?
No. This is a researched catalog account. The Red List is the assessment.
Is Vietnamese pond turtle a pet?
An animal on this catalog is in crisis in the wild. Keeping one is usually the wrong question.