Zhou's Box Turtle

Zhou's box turtle is a turtle of the family Geoemydidae that is apparently endemic to China (Guangxi). It is known only from Chinese food-market specimens and a relatively small number of individuals (The Reptile Database; Wikipedia, general species account).

The specific name honours the Chinese herpetologist Zhou Jiufa. Known from Chinese food-market specimens and from captive-breeding programmes (about 140 captive individuals in December 2018, including 80 hatched at Münster Zoo), it has never been recorded in the wild but may occur in forests of south-eastern Yunnan or western Guangxi. Over-collection for food, medicine and the pet trade is the main cause of its decline. (Wikipedia, general species account)