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The IUCN stands for the International Union for the Conservation of Nature, and it is an organisation made up of international governments and smaller societies that advocates for the sustainable use of natural resources and campaigns for conservation of the natural world. The IUCN has a list of all biological species and determines how at risk of endangerment and extinction they are. The Keeled Box Turtle is in the Red List Category and is defined as 'endangered', and it is estimated that there is less than 2,500 of these turtles left in the wild.

Sources:
https://www.iucn.org/resources/conservation-tools/iucn-red-list-threatened-species

https://www.worldlandtrust.org/species/reptiles/keeled-box-turtle/

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The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species™ is the world's most comprehensive inventory of the global conservation status of plant and animal species. It uses a set of criteria to evaluate the extinction risk of thousands of species and subspecies. These criteria are relevant to all species and all regions of the world. With its strong scientific base, the IUCN Red List is recognized as the most authoritative guide to the status of biological diversity.

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Search for species on The IUCN Red List: www.iucnredlist.org

Browse the new IUCN Red List website

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The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species™ is the world's most comprehensive inventory of the global conservation status of plant and animal species. It uses a set of criteria to evaluate the extinction risk of thousands of species and subspecies. These criteria are relevant to all species and all regions of the world.

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As opposed to most species of turtle, the keeled box turtle lives in dense, tropical forests of Asia, and are typically found in Thailand, Myanmar, China, Vietnam and are sometimes found in the more mountainous areas. They may also live in caves or in layers of leaves. Keeled box turtles are known as terrestrial animals, meaning they almost entirely live on land. Due to the large amount of deforestation in these areas, the population of keeled box turtles has seen a dramatic decline in recent years.

Sources:

https://www.thainationalparks.com/species/keeled-box-turtle

https://www.worldlandtrust.org/species/reptiles/keeled-box-turtle/

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Cuora mouhotii, John Edward Gray, 1862

(In Thai: เต่าจัน, dtao jann)

The keeled box turtle (Cuora mouhotii syn. Pyxidea mouhotii) is a species of turtle in the family Geoemydidae. It is native to Asia, where it occurs in China, India, Laos, Burma, Vietnam, Thailand, and Bhutan. Other common names include keel-backed terrapin and jagged-shelled turtle.

Taxonomy

This turtle is sometimes treated as the sole species of the monotypic genus Pyxidea. Phylogenetic analysis using mitochondrial DNA has provided evidence that the species is part of the "Cuora group", a monophyletic group of Asian box turtles, and the name Pyxidea should probably be synonymized with Cuora, making the keeled box turtle part of that genus. Other phylogenetic studies of Cuora support this conclusion. In addition, its morphology is not distinct enough from that of Cuora species to keep it separate, and it is known to hybridize with Cuora galbinifrons.

There are two subspecies, C. m. mouhotii and C. m. obsti.

The Southern Vietnamese population of Cuora mouhotii lives alongside Cuora picturata. Since Cuora mouhotii is known to hybridize with the closest living relatives of Cuora picturata (Cuora galbinifrons and Cuora bourreti) there is a possibility of hybridization in the wild between these two populations.

Description

The keeled box turtles upper shell has three large, raised ridges and is serrated on the back end. The lower shell of the Keeled Box Turtle is different variations of brown in color ranging from light brown to dark brown. The upper jaw of the turtle is strong while the snout is short and curved.

The turtle's feet are only partially webbed. The partially webbed feet suggest a terrestrial lifestyle as opposed to an aquatic one.

Male and female Keeled Box Turtles can be distinguished by the color of their eyes as well as their nails. A male Keeled Box Turtle generally has longer and thicker nails than a female Keeled Box Turtle, and eyes that are either black or brown. A female Keeled Box Turtle generally has shorter, thinner nails and their eyes are orange or red.

Biology

The biology of the species is not well known.

In one survey, males and females had an average carapace length around 15 to 17 centimeters. The breeding season is in May through September. The average clutch size was four eggs, which are smooth, white, and about 4.4 centimeters long. On average they typically lay two clutches in a breeding season. Like many other turtles the keeled box turtle does not care for its young. Females have been noted to dig nests with their rear legs and cover the clutches with soil, and also to lay eggs under fallen leaves.

The male keeled box turtle is very aggressive during the act of mating. In some instances the male turtle will chase and injure a female. The male will often persist until the female allows its advances.

They are herbivorous, and eat wide variation of vegetation in the natural environment, with a preference for wild fallen fruits. They will also occasionally eat worms snails and other meat.

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.

Conservation

This 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. This can be attributed to people capturing them for food and pets, as well as Vietnam legally exporting large numbers. Although there are other possible reasons behind this population decline, deforestation and hunting have proven to be a major threat to these turtles 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. It is also used in traditional medicine. It is consumed locally and traded internationally for in the food market and the pet trade.

In China the species is bred in captivity on a small scale for the pet trade.

This article uses material from Wikipedia released under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share-Alike Licence 3.0. Eventual photos shown in this page may or may not be from Wikipedia, please see the license details for photos in photo by-lines.

Synonyms

Cuora mouhotii obsti, Turtle Taxonomy Working Group (TTWG) (2014)

Pyxidea mouhotii, T.S.N. Murthy (2010)

Cuora mouhotii, Bryan L. Stuart & J.F. Parham (2004)

Pyxidea mouhotii, William Patrick McCord & Mehdi Joseph-Ouni (2003)

Cuora mouhotii obsti, Harald Artner (2003)

Cuora mouhotii mouhotii, Harald Artner (2003)

Pyxidea mouhotii, Thomas Ziegler (2002)

Pyxidea mouhotti obsti, Jakob Hallermann, L. Dirksen & Uetz (1999)

Pyxidea mouhotti, Jakob Hallermann, L. Dirksen & Uetz (1999)

Cuora mouhotii obsti, Fritz, Andreas & Lehr (1998)

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Cuora mouhotii, John Edward Gray, 1862 (In Thai: เต่าจัน, dtao jann) The keeled box turtle (Cuora mouhotii syn. Pyxidea mouhotii) is a species of turtle in the family Geoemydidae. It is native to Asia, where it occurs in China, India, Laos, Burma, Vietnam, Thailand, and Bhutan.

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Keeled box turtles in the wild are typically omnivorous, and their diet largely consists of natural vegetation and leaves, fallen fruit from high up trees, and they sometimes eat snails and worms. Looking at what these turtles eat in the wild, diets can be adapted for captive living. Many captive turtles receive predominantly plant-based diets, consisting of vegetation, fruits and vegetables, but mealworms, earthworms and a feed known as turtle chow, which is a commercial feed type, high in fibre and is generally given to dry land, herbivorous tortoises and turtles.

Sources:

http://blogs.thatpetplace.com/thatreptileblog/

https://www.thainationalparks.com/species/keeled-box-turtle

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As mentioned, keeled box turtles are terrestrial creatures, so they don't need a big pool or pond like other species of turtle, although, they have been observed to spend a lot of time in soaking pools, which are more shallow trays or dishes, as they can't swim well in deep bodies of water. For a turtle, keeled box turtles have a uniquely high gait, meaning they are unusually good walkers, so having adequate space is essential.

For temperature and humidity, keeled box turtles don't necessarily need to have a heat lamp as accommodation should be kept at around 21 degrees C, but creating a temperature gradient is an advantage as helps turtles to regulate body temperature. For humidity, keeled box turtles thrive in around 50%-70% humidity, so to increase this, you can spray the enclosure, ensure soaking pools are warmer water and use absorbent substrate like soil and include live plants. Live plants also act as a shade and hide, as keeled box turtles don't like bright lights. For this reason, a hide area is very important.

The Animal Welfare Act 2006 states that animals must be kept in suitable social groupings or away from other animals; these turtles can be kept in groups but it is not recommended to keep groups of opposite sex together due to males being potentially aggressive towards females.

Sources:

https://theturtleroom.org/blog/2014/04/25/cuora-mouhotii-obsti-acclimation-care/

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Cuora mouhotii obsti Acclimation and Care - theTurtleRoom

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April 25, 2014 / 6 minute read time / Husbandry / I believe that creating and maintaining a proper enclosure, as cloase as possible to the natural environment of the species, greatly increases the chance for a successful acclimation and healthy, happy turtles.

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Due to the high rate of deforestation and demand for keeled box turtles in the wildlife trafficking trade that is especially popular in Vietnam and China, these turtles are classified as endangered on the IUCN Red List.
There are a few turtle conservation programmes that aim to sustain threatened populations, such as the Turtle Conservation Centre (TCC) and the Asian Turtle Program (ATP). In 2016, the TCC successfully hatched 13 from 19 eggs that were rescued from a trafficking raid. Ways to make hatching much more successful, the TCC used chiller incubators to store the eggs in the hot Vietnamese summer. This was crucial as high temperatures can kill eggs.
Although it is extremely difficult to reintroduce captive turtles into the wild, organisations like the TCC and ATP are campaigning against poaching and deforestation and they are combatting these issues by patrolling habitats to deter poachers and removing snares, which are traps for catching animals.

Sources:

https://www.worldlandtrust.org/news/2017/07/turtle-hatchlings-mark-conservation-success-in-vietnam/

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In December 2015, World Land Trust (WLT) funded the rehabilitation of 182 turtles after they had been rescued from the wildlife trafficking trade in Vietnam. A report from the Asian Turtle Program (ATP) and Turtle Conservation Centre (TCC) confirms that the turtles recovered well and they have also had great success in the breeding program for the Endangered Keeled Box Turtle, one of the rescued species.

The species ( Cuora mouhotii) is classified by the IUCN Red List as Endangered due to exploitation by the wildlife trafficking trade and habitat loss. Conservation efforts have focussed on protecting wild populations from poachers and rescuing turtles found in trafficking raids, but so far rescued individuals have been difficult to maintain and breed in captivity.

Turtle hatchling success

TCC have reported that 2016 was the best year to date for hatchling success in their Keeled Box Turtle Breeding Program, where they breed rescued individuals to strengthen the captive population looking forward to reintroduction. TCC worked with the Asian Turtle Program (ATP) of Indo Myanmar Conservation (IMC) to build a special incubator chiller in 2014, to keep the eggs cool in the summer months in Vietnam.

TCC told WLT, "Even when room temperatures can reach above 30°C we are able to keep the eggs at between 25-28°C, which is very important as high temperatures will kill the eggs. Monitoring of the temperature and humidity is still so important in the incubator to make sure they stay acceptable for the species.

"We are very happy to report that the incubator is now running well and we had 13 successful Cuora mouhotii hatchlings from 19 eggs [in 2016]."

Wildlife trafficking in Vietnam

Even though Keeled Box Turtle has a wide geographical range with numerous isolated populations, it has suffered greatly due to collection for the pet trade and human consumption. Reports of confiscations of hundreds of turtles and other endangered species in Vietnam are frequent, the last report of 105 Big-headed Turtles (Endangered) and 149 Sunda Pangolins (Critically Endangered) being transported to the Mong Cai border in a refrigerated truck.

"We are very happy to report that... we had 13 successful Cuora mouhotii hatchlings from 19 eggs [in 2016]"
Turtle Conservation Centre

TCC reports that caring for the starved and sick individuals which have been rescued in these operations is long and costly. With support from charities such as WLT, Bristol Zoo, Zoological Society of London (ZSL), Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), Cleveland Metroparks Zoo (CMZ), the Turtle Survival Alliance (TSA) and the National Capital American Association of Zoo Keepers (NCAAZK), the centre can continue to care for rescued individuals.

This does not tackle the poaching problem on the ground, and as reintroducing these endangered species to their habitats is incredibly difficult (and it is impossible to know which area they were taken from to release them to their natal habitat), the work of wildlife rangers patrolling their habitats, deterring poachers and removing snares, is vital to protect wild populations.

More information

WLT funds the salaries of two rangers in Vietnam, Dang Hieu and Quoc Hieu, who patrol Khe Nuoc Trong to protect Vietnamese wildlife from poachers. Their work is vital to protect the animal species in Khe Nuoc Trong from poaching for the wildlife trade.

WLT supports the salaries of numerous rangers in projects around the world through the Keepers of the Wild appeal, helping to protect habitats from loggers, vulnerable species from poachers and maintaining reserves. Their work is vital for the long-term conservation of habitats, and your donation could help protect Endangered species around the world.
Support a ranger's vital work today "

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Turtle hatchlings mark conservation success in Vietnam - World Land Trust

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In December 2015, World Land Trust (WLT) funded the rehabilitation of 182 turtles after they had been rescued from the wildlife trafficking trade in Vietnam. A report from the Asian Turtle Program (ATP) and Turtle Conservation Centre (TCC) confirms that the turtles recovered well and they have also had great success in the breeding program for the Endangered Keeled Box Turtle, one of the rescued species.