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Amphibians and reptiles

Amboina box turtle

Amazing fact

The Amboina box turtle develops a more domed shell as it grows.

University of Michigan Animal Diversity Web
Amboina box turtle in its habitat (illustration)

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An illustration based on the real animal.

A little discovery to share.

The Amboina box turtle develops a more domed shell as it grows.

SourceUniversity of Michigan Animal Diversity Web — Cuora amboinensis

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THE REAL WORLD

The real Amboina box turtle

Scientific name
Cuora amboinensis
Japanese name
マレーハコガメ
Group
Amphibians and reptiles
Class
Reptilia
Order
Testudines
Family
Geoemydidae
Genus
Cuora
Facts about the real animal.

This page covers the whole species; the Javan form, Cuora amboinensis couro, is one of its subspecies.

01

A turtle that lives across much of Southeast Asia and in northeastern India.

鳥羽水族館 — マレーハコガメ
02

It is divided into several subspecies. There are also many local populations, and some think it should be split even further.

鳥羽水族館 — マレーハコガメ
03

One subspecies, the Javan form Cuora amboinensis couro, has a slightly more domed shell than the others.

鳥羽水族館 — ジャワハコガメ

How the Amboina box turtle lives

It stays active throughout the seasons without hibernating. It favors warm, still water and lives in places such as shallow ponds. It eats its food in the water. It eats varied foods, including water plants, mushrooms, fish and insects.

University of Michigan Animal Diversity Web

Basic data

Range
Southeast Asia and northeastern India
鳥羽水族館

Where the Amboina box turtle has been recorded

World map with dots where the Amboina box 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

简体中文
马来闭壳龟
繁體中文
馬來閉殼龜
Português (Brasil)
Cágado-de-Amboina
Bahasa Indonesia
Kuya batok

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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