(Chinese) Three-striped Box Turtle Cuora trifasciata

The (Chinese) Three-striped Box Turtle, a semi-aquatic terrapin also called the Golden Coin Turtle, used to be native to much of south China and also to Vietnam and Laos, but is now only known in the wild on Hainan Island. Box turtles are named because they are able to open and tightly close the front and back sections of their shell.

This way of protecting themselves from predators has not stopped all Asian box turtles from being decimated by over-collecting by humans. The Golden Coin name is because they are bringers of wealth in Chinese folklore, which makes them highly sought-after pets. Moreover, in Chinese medicine, a jelly made from this turtle is said to cure an assortment of ills from acne to cancer.

The Three-striped Box Turtle is now thought to be extinct in the wild on the mainland and remains critically endangered through over-collection for Chinese medicine, food and captive trades.