POCKET GUIDE
About Us
Turtles live all over the world—in rivers, deserts, lush jungles, and even our own backyards. It’s easy to assume they’ll always be here. But the very traits that once helped them survive for millions of years now leave them vulnerable to extinction.
Since 2013, the Turtle Survival Center has been working to protect species with little to no chance of surviving in the wild by building strong, healthy populations in human care. Today, it’s a world-class conservation center, accredited by the Association of Zoos & Aquariums. The Center is home to more than 800 turtles and tortoises, including some of the most critically endangered species on the planet.
This guide features species currently maintained in captivity at the Center, as well as species native to South Carolina that can be found in the wild on the premises.
Meet the Staff
Back cover photo: Big-headed Turtle (Platysternon megacephalum) © Nickie Stone
Rote Island Snake-necked Turtle
Bourret’s Box Turtle
Southeast Asian Box Turtle
Yellow-headed Box Turtle
Vietnamese Three-striped Box Turtle
Yellow-margined Box Turtle
Indochinese Box Turtle
McCord’s Box Turtle
Keeled Box Turtle
Pan’s Box Turtle
Southern Vietnam Box Turtle
Philippine Box Turtle
Chinese Three-striped Box Turtle
Zhou’s Box Turtle
Burmese Star Tortoise
Spotted Pond Turtle
Arakan Forest Turtle
Spiny Turtle
Tortoise
Sulawesi Forest Turtle
Asian Giant Tortoise
Vietnamese Pond Turtle
Red-necked Pond Turtle
Chinese Stripe-Necked Turtle
Big-headed Turtle
Beale’s Eyed Turtle
Flattened Musk Turtle
Snapping Turtle
IUCN STATUS: CRITICALLY ENDANGERED
Rote Island
Snake-Necked Turtle
(Chelodina mccordi mccordi)
HABITAT
Small, shallow lakes, swamps, marshes, and rice paddies
THREATS
• Habitat destruction, alteration & conversion
• Collection for the pet trade
• Introduced predatory fish
• Pollution
WILD POPULATION PRESUMED EXTINCT
• Estimated population reduction > 99%
CONSERVATION
• Captive breeding and assurance colonies
• Genetic management
• Reintroduction efforts
• Field surveys
• Protected in Indonesia
• CITES Appendix II
RANGE
Indonesia (Rote Island)
IUCN STATUS: CRITICALLY ENDANGERED
Bourret’s Box Turtle
(Cuora bourreti)
HABITAT
Upland, moist, closedcanopy evergreen forests
THREATS
• Collection for the pet and food trades
• Habitat destruction
WILD POPULATION DECREASING
• Estimated population reduction > 90%
• Individuals increasingly difficult to find
RANGE
Laos, Vietnam
CONSERVATION
• Captive breeding and assurance colonies
• Field surveys
• Protected in Laos and Vietnam
• CITES Appendix I
IUCN STATUS: ENDANGERED
Southeast Asian Box Turtle
(Cuora couro kamaroma)
HABITAT
Moist evergreen forests and lowlands and shallow, still to slow-moving, heavily vegetated freshwater bodies
THREATS
• Collection for the food, pet, and medicinal trades and local consumption
• Habitat destruction, alteration, and pollution
WILD POPULATION
DECREASING
• Estimated population reduction of 50-80%
• Highly uncommon in some areas, while common in others
RANGE
Cambodia, India (Nicobar Island), Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam
CONSERVATION
• Captive breeding
• Genetic studies
• Adapts moderately well to humanimpacted areas
• Protection status varies by country
• CITES Appendix II
IUCN STATUS: CRITICALLY ENDANGERED
Yellow-headed Box Turtle
(Cuora aurocapitata aurocapitata and Cuora aurocapitata dabieshani)
HABITAT
Clear hill streams
THREATS
• Collection for the pet trade
• Habitat destruction and degradation
• Pollution
WILD POPULATION
DECREASING
• Estimated population reduction > 95%
• Considered functionally extinct in the wild
CONSERVATION
• Captive breeding & assurance colonies
• Field surveys
• Protected in the wild in China
• CITES Appendix II
RANGE
China (Anhui, Henan, Hubei)
IUCN STATUS: CRITICALLY ENDANGERED
Vietnamese Three-striped Box Turtle (Cuora
cyclornata annamitica)
HABITAT
Hill streams and marshes in low to mid-elevation evergreen forests
THREATS
• Habitat destruction and alteration
• Collection for the pet, food, and medicinal trades
• Genetic pollution
WILD POPULATION DECREASING
• Estimated population reduction > 95%
• Fewer than 500 estimated to remain in the wild
CONSERVATION
• Captive breeding and assurance colonies
• Genetic studies and management
• Field surveys
• Protected in the wild in China and Vietnam
• CITES Appendix II
RANGE
China, Laos, Vietnam
IUCN STATUS: ENDANGERED
Yellow-margined Box Turtle (Cuora
flavomarginata)
HABITAT
Tropical and subtropical moist evergreen forests and lowlands
THREATS
• Habitat destruction
• Collection for the pet, food, and medicinal trades
WILD POPULATION
DECREASING
• Mainland Chinese populations are decreasing more rapidly than the populations on Taiwan and the Ryukyu Islands of Japan
RANGE
China, Japan, Taiwan
CONSERVATION
• Captive breeding and assurance colonies
• Field surveys
• Protected in the wild in China, Taiwan, and Japan
• CITES Appendix II
IUCN STATUS: CRITICALLY ENDANGERED
Indochinese Box Turtle (Cuora galbinifrons)
HABITAT
Tropical & subtropical upland, moist, closed-canopy forests
THREATS
• Collection for the pet and food trades
• Habitat destruction
WILD POPULATION DECREASING
• Estimated population reduction > 90%
• Individuals increasingly difficult to find
RANGE China, Laos, Vietnam
CONSERVATION
• Captive breeding and assurance colonies
• Field surveys
• Protected in the wild in China, Laos, and Vietnam
• CITES Appendix II
IUCN STATUS: CRITICALLY ENDANGERED
McCord’s Box Turtle (Cuora mccordi)
HABITAT
Bamboo patches in broadleaf forests and accompaning shallow wetlands & small streams
THREATS
• Collection for the pet and food trades
• Habitat destruction
• Flooding & pollution
WILD POPULATION
PRESUMED EXTINCT
• Last wild specimen observed in 2010
CONSERVATION
• Captive breeding and assurance colonies
• Protected in the wild in China
• CITES Appendix II
RANGE
China (Guangxi)
IUCN STATUS: ENDANGERED
Keeled Box Turtle
(Cuora mouhotii mouhotii and Cuora mouhotii obsti)
HABITAT
Tropical and subtropical moist evergreen forests and lowland swamps
THREATS
• Habitat destruction
• Collection for the food, pet, and, occasionally, medicinal trades
WILD POPULATION DECREASING
• Estimated population reduction between 50-80%
• Uncommon to moderately common depending on location
RANGE
Bhutan, Bangledesh, China, India, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam
CONSERVATION
• Captive breeding and assurance colonies
• Field surveys
• Protected in the wild in China, Laos, Vietnam, and Myanmar
• CITES Appendix II
IUCN STATUS: CRITICALLY ENDANGERED
Pan’s Box Turtle (Cuora
pani)
HABITAT
Clear, fast-moving mountain streams
THREATS
• Collection for the pet and medicinal trades
• Habitat destruction and degradation
WILD POPULATION DECREASING
• Presumed at or near functional extinction
• Fewer than ten specimens observed in the wild per year
RANGE
China (Henan, Hubei, Shaanxi, Sichuan, Chongqing, Gansu)
CONSERVATION
• Captive breeding and assurance colonies
• Field surveys
• Protected in the wild in China
• CITES Appendix II
IUCN STATUS: CRITICALLY ENDANGERED
Southern Vietnam Box Turtle (Cuora
picturata)
HABITAT
Tropical, moist, broadleaf evergreen forests
THREATS
• Collection for the pet, food, and medicinal trades
• Habitat destruction
WILD POPULATION DECREASING
• Estimated to be between 3,000-10,000 individuals
• Increasingly difficult to find RANGE
Vietnam
CONSERVATION
• Captive breeding and assurance colonies
• Field surveys
• Protected in Vietnam
• CITES Appendix I
IUCN STATUS: ENDANGERED
Philippine Box Turtle (Cuora philippinensis)
HABITAT
Shallow, still to slow-moving, heavily vegetated freshwater bodies and terrestrial lowlands
THREATS
• Collection for the food and pet trades and local consumption
• Habitat destruction, alteration, and degradation
WILD POPULATION
DECREASING
• Relatively abundant in many parts of their range
• Some populations heavy depleted
RANGE
Philippines
CONSERVATION
• Captive breeding
• Genetic studies
• Adapts moderately well to human-impacted areas
• Protected in the Philippines
• CITES Appendix II
IUCN STATUS: CRITICALLY ENDANGERED
Chinese Three-striped Box Turtle
(Cuora trifasciata trifasciata and Cuora trifasciata luteocephala)
HABITAT
Clear streams in forested hills
THREATS
• Collection for the pet, food, and medicinal trades
• Habitat destruction
• Genetic pollution
WILD POPULATION DECREASING
• Estimated population reduction > 95%
• Individuals scattered and increasingly difficult to find
RANGE
China (Fujian, Guangdong, Hainan Island, Hong Kong, Guangxi)
CONSERVATION
• Captive breeding and assurance colonies
• Field surveys
• Protected in the wild in China
• CITES Appendix II
Photo:
IUCN STATUS: CRITICALLY ENDANGERED
Zhou’s Box Turtle (Cuora
zhoui)
HABITAT
Unknown; no specimens have been documented in the wild
THREATS
• Habitat destruction (likely)
• Collection for the food, pet, and medicinal trades
WILD POPULATION
PRESUMED EXTINCT
Estimated population reduction > 99%
CONSERVATION
• Captive breeding and assurance colonies
• Genetic management
• Field surveys
• Protected in the wild in China and Vietnam
• CITES Appendix II
RANGE
China, Vietnam
IUCN STATUS: CRITICALLY ENDANGERED
Burmese Star Tortoise
(Geochelone platynota)
HABITAT
Dry deciduous and scrub forests with dense grassy undergrowth
THREATS
• Collection for pet trade
• Habitat destruction
WILD POPULATION NOW INCREASING
• Considered functionally extinct by the mid 2000s
• Wild population now > 5,000 individuals
RANGE
Myanmar
CONSERVATION
• Captive breeding and assurance colonies
• Reintroduction efforts
• Field surveys
• Protected in Myanmar
• CITES Appendix I
IUCN STATUS: CRITICALLY ENDANGERED
Spotted Pond Turtle
(Geoclemys hamiltonii)
HABITAT
Tropical rivers, ponds, oxbows and flooded forests
THREATS
• Collection for the pet trade and local subsistence consumption
• Habitat degradation
• Incidental entanglement and drownings from fishing gear
WILD POPULATION DECREASING
• Increasingly rare or extirpated in many areas
• Somewhat common in protected areas
• Estimated population reduction greater than 50%
CONSERVATION
• Captive breeding
• Combating wildlife trafficking
• Protected in all range countries
• CITES Appendix I
RANGE
Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan
IUCN STATUS: CRITICALLY ENDANGERED
Arakan Forest Turtle (Heosemys depressa)
HABITAT
Mountainous evergreen and bamboo forests
THREATS
• Habitat destruction
• Collection for local consumption and foreign pet & meat trades
WILD POPULATION DECREASING
• Habitat loss accounts for more than 80% of decline
• Individuals increasingly difficult to find
RANGE
Bangladesh, Myanmar
CONSERVATION
• Captive breeding and assurance colonies
• Field surveys
• Protected in Myanmar
• CITES Appendix II
IUCN STATUS: ENDANGERED
Spiny Turtle (Heosemys
spinosa)
HABITAT
Wet evergreen forests, hill streams, and lowland floodplains
THREATS
• Habitat destruction
• Collection for local consumption and domestic & international pet & food trades
WILD POPULATION
DECREASING
• Estimated population reduction up to 80%
RANGE
Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand
CONSERVATION
• Captive breeding and assurance colonies
• Field surveys
• Protected in Thailand
• CITES Appendix II
IUCN STATUS: CRITICALLY ENDANGERED
Forsten’s Tortoise (Indotestudo
forstenii)
HABITAT
Dry and moist secondary forests
THREATS
• Habitat destruction
• Collection for the pet trade
• Not listed as a protected species in Indonesia
WILD POPULATION DECREASSING
• Intensively hunted for the pet trade
RANGE
Indonesia (Sulawesi)
CONSERVATION
• Captive breeding and assurance colonies
• Field surveys & monitoring
• Zero export quota
• CITES Appendix II
IUCN STATUS: CRITICALLY ENDANGERED
Sulawesi
Forest Turtle
(Leucocephalon yuwonoi)
HABITAT
Clear, shallow streams and their densely forested buffers; and clear-water heavily vegetated wetlands
THREATS
• Habitat destruction, alteration, and fragmentation
• Collection for the pet trade
• Not listed as a protected species in Indonesia
WILD POPULATION
DECREASING
• Estimated population reduction > 80%
• Moderate- to highdensity populations still occur in some areas
RANGE
Indonesia (Sulawesi)
CONSERVATION
• Captive breeding and assurance colonies
• Field surveys
• Zero-export quota
• CITES Appendix II
Photo: © Joel Sartore/Photo
IUCN STATUS: CRITICALLY ENDANGERED
Asian Giant Tortoise
(Manouria emys phayrei)
HABITAT
Mountainous evergreen forests
THREATS
• Habitat destruction
• Collection for local consumption and foreign pet and food trades
WILD POPULATION DECREASING
• Estimated population reduction > 80%
CONSERVATION
• Captive breeding and assurance colonies
• Reintroduction efforts
• Field surveys
• Protected in India, Myanmar, and Thailand
• CITES Appendix II
RANGE
Bangladesh, India, Myanmar, Thailand
IUCN STATUS: CRITICALLY ENDANGERED
Vietnamese Pond Turtle (Mauremys annamensis)
HABITAT
Marshes, ponds, lakes, slow-moving streams and rivers, and rice paddies
WILD POPULATION
DECREASING
• Estimated population reduction > 99%
• Wild population is estimated to be < 50 adults
THREATS
• Collection for food, pet, & medicinal trades
• Habitat destruction and alteration
CONSERVATION
• Captive breeding and assurance colonies
• Field surveys
• Protected in Vietnam
• CITES Appendix I
RANGE
Vietnam
IUCN STATUS: CRITICALLY ENDANGERED
Red-necked Pond Turtle (Mauremys
nigricans)
HABITAT
Mountain and hill streams in dense evergreen forests
THREATS
• Habitat destruction and degradation
• Collection for food, pet, and medicinal trades
• Genetic pollution
WILD POPULATION PRESUMED EXTINCT
• No wild specimens known to science
RANGE China
CONSERVATION
• Captive breeding and assurance colonies
• Genetic management
• Field surveys
• Protected in the wild in China
• CITES Appendix II
IUCN STATUS: CRITICALLY ENDANGERED
Chinese Stripe-necked Turtle (Mauremys
sinensis)
HABITAT
Still- to slow-moving lowland waterbodies
THREATS
• Habitat destruction and degradation
• Collection for the food and pet trades
• Genetic pollution
• Not protected in Taiwan or Vietnam
WILD POPULATION DECREASING
• Estimated population reduction > 80% in past 20 years
CONSERVATION
• Captive breeding colonies
• Protected in the wild in China
• CITES Appendix III
RANGE
China, Taiwan, Vietnam
IUCN STATUS: CRITICALLY ENDANGERED
Asian Big-headed Turtle
(Platysternon megacephalum)
HABITAT
Steep, clear-water, cascading hill streams
THREATS
• Habitat destruction, degradation, and alteration
• Collection for the pet trade
WILD POPULATION DECREASING
• Now rare throughout its range
CONSERVATION
• Captive breeding and assurance colonies
• Combating illegal trafficking
• Protected in the wild in China, Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam
• CITES Appendix I
RANGE
Cambodia, China, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam
IUCN STATUS: CRITICALLY ENDANGERED
Beale’s Eyed Turtle (Sacalia
bealei)
HABITAT
Forest streams and brooks featuring large stones and dense overhead canopy
THREATS
• Habitat destruction
• Collection for pet and medicinal trades
WILD POPULATION DECREASING
• Population highly fragmented
• Increasingly difficult to find
CONSERVATION
• Captive breeding and assurance colonies
• Field surveys
• Protected in the wild in China
• CITES Appendix II
RANGE
China (Fujian, Guandong, Hong Kong, Jiangxi)
IUCN STATUS: CRITICALLY ENDANGERED
Flattened Musk Turtle
(Sternotherus depressus)
HABITAT
Medium-sized, clean, clear-water streams and small rivers with abundant rock coverage and crevices
THREATS
• Habitat degradation
• Pollution
• Illegal collection for the pet trade
WILD POPULATION DECREASING
• Estimated population reduction > 90%
• Individuals increasingly difficult to find
CONSERVATION
• Population monitoring
• Protected as Threatened under the Endangered Species Act
• Protected in Alabama
RANGE
United States (Alabama)
IUCN STATUS: LEAST CONCERN
Common Snapping Turtle
(Chelydra serpentina)
HABITAT
Freshwater ponds, lakes, marshes, swamps, ditches, slow-moving rivers, and brackish estuaries
THREATS
• Habitat destruction, degradation, and pollution
• Road mortality
• Collection for personal and commercial consumption
WILD POPULATION STABLE/UNKNOWN
• Highly adaptable to man-made aquatic environments
• Decreasing in some areas due to collection for the
CONSERVATION
• Personal and commercial take regulated at the state/provincial level
• Field surveys
• CITES Appendix II
RANGE
Canada, United States
IUCN STATUS: ENDANGERED
Spotted
Turtle
(Clemmys guttata)
HABITAT
Swamps and marshes, temporary wetlands, forested floodplains, and small, slow-moving streams
THREATS
• Habitat destruction, alteration, & fragmentation
• Collection for the pet trade
• Road and railroad mortality
• Increased predation
WILD POPULATION
DECREASING
• Most populations are small and thus sensitive to localized extinction
• Distribution is localized to preferred habitat
CONSERVATION
• Captive breeding and reintroduction programs
• Field surveys and monitoring
• Protected throughout its range in the USA
• Federally Protected in Canada
• CITES Appendix II
RANGE
Canada, United States
IUCN STATUS: NEAR THREATENED
Eastern Chicken Turtle (Deirochelys
reticularia reticularia)
HABITAT
Shallow, still- to slowmoving, heavily vegetated permanent and temporary wetlands
THREATS
• Habitat destruction and degradation
• Road mortality
WILD POPULATION UNKNOWN
• Though local populations are believed to be small, the species is believed to be relatively common
CONSERVATION
• Field surveys
• Protection varies at the state level
• Listed as Endangered in Virginia
RANGE United States
IUCN STATUS: LEAST CONCERN
Eastern Mud Turtle (Kinosternon subrubrum subrubrum)
HABITAT
Shallow, still- to slow-moving, heavily vegetated permanent and temporary wetlands and brackish marshes
THREATS
CONSERVATION
• Field surveys
• Protection varies at the state level
• Listed as Endangered New York State
• Habitat destruction, alteration, and fragmentation
• Road and railroad mortality
• Collection for the pet trade
WILD POPULATION UNKNOWN
• In suitable habitat, the species can be abundant
• Considered the rarest turtle in New York State
RANGE
United States
• CITES Appendix II
IUCN STATUS: LEAST CONCERN
Coastal Plain Cooter (Pseudemys floridana)
HABITAT
Ponds, lakes, marshes, swamps, and slow-moving rivers
THREATS
• Habitat destruction, degradation, and pollution
• Road mortality
• Personal collection for consumption
WILD POPULATION
UNKNOWN
• Large-scale species status assessments have not been performed
CONSERVATION
• Protected from collection in Florida and North Carolina
• Collection regulated in all other range states
RANGE United States
IUCN STATUS: LEAST CONCERN
Common Musk Turtle (Sternotherus odoratus)
HABITAT
Wide variety of standing and flowing freshwater bodies, including lakes, ponds, reservoirs, rivers, swamps, and springs
THREATS
• Habitat destruction, fragmentation, and pollution
• Collection for pet trade
• Road and railroad mortality
WILD POPULATION STABLE
• Highly adaptable to man-made and altered waterbodies
• In many areas it occurs in dense populations
CONSERVATION
• Protected in Canada
• Personal and commercial take regulated at the state level in the United States
• Field surveys monitoring
• CITES Appendix II
RANGE
Canada, United States
IUCN STATUS: VULNERABLE
Eastern Box Turtle (Terrapene carolina carolina)
HABITAT
Forests, scrub, fields, meadows, swamps, marshes, and thickets
THREATS
• Habitat destruction and fragmentation
• Road and railroad mortality
• Disease transmission
• Collection for personal use and the pet trade
WILD POPULATION
DECREASING
• Abundant in some areas, while scarce in others
RANGE
United States
CONSERVATION
• Repatriation and reintroduction programs
• Field surveys
• Protected from commercial collection in all range states
• CITES Appendix II
IUCN STATUS: LEAST CONCERN
Yellow-bellied Slider (Trachemys scripta scripta)
HABITAT
Most freshwater bodies, as well as brackish tidal creeks and marshes
THREATS
• Habitat destruction, fragmentation, and alteration
• Collection for personal and commercial use
• Road mortality
• Incidental drownings and capture in fishing gear
RANGE
United States
WILD POPULATION LIKELY INCREASING
• Well-adapted to altered or man-made environments
• Increasing in many areas due to the release of animals from the pet trade
CONSERVATION
• Personal & commercial collection regulated at the state level
• Field surveys
• Population monitoring
NOTES
