Japanese pond turtle
Amazing fact
Female Japanese pond turtles dig flask-shaped holes in the ground with their hind legs to lay eggs.
岐阜県
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An illustration based on the real animal.
A little discovery to share.
Female Japanese pond turtles dig flask-shaped holes in the ground with their hind legs to lay eggs.
THE REAL WORLD
The real Japanese pond turtle
- Scientific name
- Mauremys japonica
- Japanese name
- ニホンイシガメ
- Group
- Amphibians and reptiles
- Class
- Reptilia
- Order
- Testudines
- Family
- Geoemydidae
- Genus
- Mauremys
Where the name “Japanese pond turtle” comes from
The young are called zenigame because their round shape resembles an old coin.
池田動物園A turtle found nowhere but Japan; its scientific name, japonica, also means 'of Japan.' It lives in rivers, ponds, and similar waters in hilly and mountain areas.
It is smaller than the Reeves' turtle, and its rounded shell has a jagged edge near the tail.
It is omnivorous, eating plants as well as insects and earthworms. Young ones are sometimes called zenigame (coin turtles).
How the Japanese pond turtle lives
This turtle is active during the day. It eats animals such as caddisflies and Japanese freshwater crabs between pebbles with its slightly pointed snout. It usually lives alone rather than in a group. It spends winter on the bottom of ponds or rivers, under rocks, or beneath piles of fallen leaves.
東京都建設局岐阜県Basic data
- Size
- 8–21 cm
- Diet
- Plants, insects, earthworms, and other food
- Range
- Honshu, Shikoku, and Kyushu in Japan
- Conservation status in Japan
- Vulnerable (VU)Ministry of the Environment of Japan, 5th Red List (2026)
Where the Japanese pond turtle has been recorded
Records: GBIF.org (CC0 and CC BY 4.0 records, retrieved 2026-11-07). Map: Natural EarthSee the records on GBIF
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
- ニホンイシガメ
- 简体中文
- 日本石龟
- 繁體中文
- 日本石龜
- 한국어
- 일본돌거북
- Español
- Tortuga de estanque japonesa
- Français
- Émyde du Japon
- Deutsch
- Japanische Sumpfschildkröte
- Italiano
- Tartaruga palustre del Giappone
- العربية
- سلحفاة البرك اليابانية
- Русский
- Японская водяная черепаха
Names come from Wikidata and iNaturalist records. Where a language has no recorded name, we use the scientific name.
Sources and how we check
- 上野動物園 — ニホンイシガメChecked: 2026-11-03
- 池田動物園 — ニホンイシガメChecked: 2026-11-06
- 東京都建設局 — ニホンイシガメChecked: 2026-11-06
- 岐阜県 — ニホンイシガメChecked: 2026-11-06
- Ministry of the Environment of Japan, 5th Red List (2026)Checked: 2026-11-07
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.
The conservation status in Japan is the category in the Red Lists of the Ministry of the Environment of Japan, which assess the risk of extinction for wild animals in Japan.
This page was translated from the original Japanese with the help of AI.
Report a mistakeWhen you meet the Japanese pond turtle, look for this
- Look for its ochre-colored shell and long tail.
Animals do different things from day to day, so you may not always see this.
池田動物園EXHIBIT INFORMATION
Places that keep or show the Japanese pond turtle
Zoos, aquariums and other places whose official websites say they keep or show this animal.
Displays can change with the animals’ health and the seasons. Check each facility’s official website before you go.
RELATIVES
Others in Geoemydidae
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