In honor and memory of those we lost in the tragedy on 9/11/01
TAXONOMY
Chinese three-striped box turtle
Three-lined box turtle
Three banded box turtle
Class Reptilia, order Chelonia, family emydidae, subfamily
batagurinae, genus Cuora , species trifasciata. There
are currently no described subspecies.
RANGE AND NATURAL HABITAT
The three-striped box turtle has a fairly small range through northern Vietnam
several south China provinces and Hainan Island, China. It lives in clear
mountain streams and other sub-tropical to temperate, aquatic situations.
IDENTIFICATION
Cuora trifasciata is one of the most colorful Cuora species.
The carapace is brown with three distinct black stripes. The two lateral
stripes are shorter than the center stripe. Stripes are positioned on the
blunt center keel and the shorter, smaller lateral keels. The plastron is
almost entirely black except for a partial border of yellow. The underside
of the marginals is pinkish-orange with some small dark blotches. The narrow
and pointed head sports several colors. The top of the head is yellow, green
or olive. There is a thick black stripe which extends back from the nose.
It borders a yellow, green or olive oval spot on each side of the head.
The slightly hooked upper jaw is yellow and a yellow stripe extends back
from the mouth. The lower jaw is also yellow, but the underside of the neck
is pink or orange. The limb sockets and underside of the limbs are also
pinkish orange, while the upper sides of the limbs are brown, gray or olive
green. The carapace is longer and flatter than many other Cuora species.
Although the plastron is hinged, the posterior lobe is too small to provide
protection for the hind limbs. There is a fairly large notch at the midline
of the anal scutes. The male's plastron is only slightly concave, but the
male generally has a longer, thicker tail with the cloaca beyond the carapace
margin.
CAPTIVE CARE
The three-striped box turtle is semi-aquatic. It enjoys wading and swimming,
but also is known to walk about on land. A large vivarium with half land/half
water should keep your turtle comfortable. It should offer a cool, shaded
area and a warm area with a basking light. A full-spectrum light may have
physical and psychological benefits for reptiles. Temperatures should range
between 68 - 82 degrees F. This turtle will enjoy a large outdoor enclosure
with a pond, if possible. It may be housed outdoors year round in subtropical
areas. It can survive brief periods of fairly cold weather by becoming dormant.
Breeding is more likely to be successful in a large outdoor environment,
and occurs with the return of warm weather in the spring. Courtship and
mating occur both in and out of the water, and males are quite aggressive.
Diet is thought to be almost entirely carnivorous. They are fond of fish,
worms, slugs, insects and baby mice. Occasional meals of canned dog or cat
food are also acceptable for this carnivorous animal, and can provide a
good medium for a vitamin suppliment with calcium.
View My Guestbook
Sign My Guestbook
|
