Large-headed Turtle

1 Overview

The large-headed turtle (Chinemys megalocephala), also the ‘big-head grass turtle’, is a Chinese endemic that resembles the common Chinese pond turtle but with a bizarrely large head – hence the name.

A geoemydid turtle; females larger (about 25 cm), males smaller. Spindle-shaped carapace with a clear brown-black keel. Endemic to Jiangsu, Hubei, Guangxi etc., in hilly stream or pond margins; type locality Nanjing, Jiangsu. Sold nationwide. SOURCE NOTE: the source concatenated the name as ‘Chinemysmegalocephala’; correct is Chinemys megalocephala. Listed as a threatened species.

2 Appearance

One nuchal, 5 vertebral, 4 pleural, 11 marginal scutes; plastron shorter than carapace, front edge straight, rear notch deep; clear concentric rings. Head olive with black-edged pale-yellow stripes from behind the eye; throat with irregular yellow lines. Carapace chestnut or black with 3 keels (central prominent). Bridge and plastron black-brown or with yellow spots; limbs grey with tile-like scales, half-webbed, sharp claws.

Head huge, triangular, capped with a bony shield, hook-shaped jaw, large eyes, no external ear or tympanum. Tail long (sometimes exceeding the shell); neither head nor limbs retract – unusual among Chinese turtles. Head width is 1/3 to 1/2 of the shell front width.

3 Care & Temperament

Like the pond turtle it brumates below 15 C, then busies itself mating, feeding and fattening for winter. Oviparous; 2-7 eggs May-September, milky-white elliptical.

4 Habitat & Environment

Amphibious; needs a proper basking platform. Cold-hardy: enters brumation at about 10 C water, survives 0 C; optimum about 22 C; above 35 C it burrows or shelters. Small appetite, omnivorous (insects, snails, small fish, aquatic plants). More active and bolder than the pond turtle.

A water turtle kept in water above 15 C; depth not much above the shell so it can breathe easily. Feed only in water; change water about 30 min after feeding. Below 15 C, dry-keep and mist. Summer: eat and defecate a lot, change water daily.

5 Diet & Feeding

Mostly carnivorous but tolerant of pellets and vegetables in captivity. Wild: small fish, shrimp, snails, clams, earthworms, carrion, aquatic plants. Captive: worms, fish, shrimp, snails, animal offal, pig blood, rotten meat; plant matter (stems or leaves, fruit peel, wheat bran).