Terrapins Main Page
Turtles Main Page



Scientific Name : Siebenrockiella crassicollis

General Characteristics : Black terrapin is a small turtle with length of half a foot. Its weight is less than half a kilogram. It has flat body, not beautiful. Its shell, head, tail and legs are all black. There are white spots above its eyes and on its cheeks and face. The length of its upper shell is around 200 centimeters at most.

Habitat / Food : It is found in India, Indochina, Malaysia, Sumatra, Java, Borneo and Philippines. It is commonly found in all regions of Thailand but abound in the central and southern regions. It eats snails, shrimps, vegetables and plant seeds.

Behavior / Mating : It likes hiding underneath mud or searching for food on the muddy bed under the water. It hardly goes up to surface. This is the reason why it is always dirty with mud on its body. It goes up to the ground at nighttime in order to find a location for laying or breeding or moving. During daytime, it normally hides itself in waste land, morass or muddy place under the water.

Current Status : It is a protected animal of Thailand under Wildlife Preservation and Protection Act B.E. 2535.

Visiting Location : Dusit Zoo, Khao Kheow Open Zoo, Chiang Mai Zoo