Cuora zhoui
Overview
A detailed profile for this species is sourced from the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species as assessments become available.
Cuora zhoui faces severe population decline primarily due to intensive collection for the traditional medicine trade and food markets, where turtle shells and meat command high prices. Habitat destruction from agricultural expansion and urban development has fragmented the remaining forest streams and wetlands essential for this species. The combination of overexploitation and habitat loss has pushed this endemic Chinese turtle to the brink of extinction, with wild populations now extremely rare.
Habitat
Zhou's box turtle inhabits shallow forest streams, ponds, and wetlands in subtropical mountainous regions of southern China. The species requires clean, slow-moving waters with abundant aquatic vegetation and adjacent terrestrial areas for nesting and foraging.
