Japanese pond turtle | |
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Japanese pond turtle (Mauremys japonica) | |
Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Sauropsida |
Order: | Testudines |
Suborder: | Cryptodira |
Superfamily: | Testudinoidea |
Family: | Geoemydidae |
Genus: | Mauremys |
Species: | M. japonica |
Binomial name | |
Mauremys japonica (Temminck & Schlegel in Siebold, 1835) |
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Synonyms | |
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The Japanese pond turtle (Mauremys japonica) 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.
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.