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Amphibians and reptiles

Chinese stripe-necked turtle

Amazing fact

In Chinese stripe-necked turtles, the temperature of developing eggs changes the balance of male and female hatchlings.

Zoo Zürich
Chinese stripe-necked turtle in its habitat (illustration)

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An illustration based on the real animal.

A little discovery to share.

In Chinese stripe-necked turtles, the temperature of developing eggs changes the balance of male and female hatchlings.

SourceZoo Zürich — Chinese stripe-necked turtle

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THE REAL WORLD

The real Chinese stripe-necked turtle

Scientific name
Mauremys sinensis
Japanese name
ハナガメ
Group
Amphibians and reptiles
Class
Reptilia
Order
Testudines
Family
Geoemydidae
Genus
Mauremys
Facts about the real animal.

It is also listed under the scientific name Ocadia sinensis.

01

It lives in southern China, Taiwan and northern Vietnam.

鳥羽水族館 — ハナガメ
02

Many thin yellow lines run from its head along the sides of its neck.

鳥羽水族館 — ハナガメ
03

Its Japanese name, "flower turtle", is said to come from the round dark spots on the edge of its belly shell, which look like flowers.

鳥羽水族館 — ハナガメ

How the Chinese stripe-necked turtle lives

During the day, it can often be seen basking in the sun. It uses its webbed feet to swim and dive, searching for food underwater. It eats plants and animals, but plants make up a greater share of the diet in females than in males. Turtles of this species sometimes bask close together.

Zoo ZürichDublin Zoo

Basic data

Range
Southern China, Taiwan, and northern Vietnam
鳥羽水族館

Where the Chinese stripe-necked turtle has been recorded

World map with dots where the Chinese stripe-necked turtle has been recorded
Each dot marks a place with observations or specimens shared on GBIF. Some records are of animals that strayed or were brought by people, so the dots are not always where the animal lives.

Records: GBIF.org (CC0 and CC BY 4.0 records, retrieved 2026-11-07). Map: Natural EarthSee the records on GBIF

Where it livesAsiaRivers and wetlands

Watch wild animals from a distance. Do not touch or feed them, and take care of the places where they live.

Names around the world

日本語
ハナガメ
简体中文
中华花龟
繁體中文
中華花龜
Português (Brasil)
Cágado-listrado-chinês

Names come from Wikidata and iNaturalist records. Where a language has no recorded name, we use the scientific name.

Sources and how we check

We check each fact against its source. The illustrations simplify how the real animal looks.

The classification (class, order, family, genus) follows Wikidata records, checked against GBIF. Classifications can change as research goes on.

The basic data are the values given in each source. They vary with how the animal is measured, whether it is male or female, and whether it lives in the wild or in captivity.

This page was translated from the original Japanese with the help of AI.

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