Japanese pond turtle

The Japanese pond turtle (Mauremys japonica), also called commonly the Japanese pond terrapin and the Japanese pond tortoise, is a species of turtle in the family Geoemydidae endemic to Japan. Its Japanese name is nihon ishigame, Japanese stone turtle. Its population has decreased somewhat due to habitat loss, but it is not yet considered a threatened species.

Japanese pond turtle
Japanese pond turtle (Mauremys japonica)
Conservation status
Near Threatened  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
CITES Appendix II (CITES)[2]
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Order:	Testudines
Suborder:	Cryptodira
Superfamily:	Testudinoidea
Family:	Geoemydidae
Genus:	Mauremys
Species:	M. japonica
Binomial name
Mauremys japonica (Temminck & Schlegel in Siebold, 1835[3])
Synonyms[4]
Emys vulgaris japonica Temminck & Schlegel, 1835 Emys japonica Gray, 1844 Emys caspica var. japonica Duméril & Bibron, 1852 Clemmys japonica Strauch, 1862 Mauremys japonica McDowell, 1964 Ocadia japonica Vetter, 2006

This species is known to hybridize with the Chinese pond turtle, the Chinese stripe-necked turtle, and the Chinese box turtle (and possibly other Geoemydidae) in captivity. As these three species are much rarer and strongly declining in the wild, this should be avoided.^[5][6]

The Japanese pond turtle is an aquatic species found in many freshwater bodies of water. These include rivers, lakes, ponds, swamps, marshes, and irrigated rice paddies in the flatlands surrounding highlands.^[7] Although they can be found on both flatlands and on the slopes of the mountains, studies have shown they are more likely to thrive on the flatlands.^[8] This can be essential to understanding the conservation measures needed to protect this near-threatened species.