Turtles Main Page
Terrapins Main Page



Scientific Name : Hieremys annandalii

General Characteristics : It is a big turtle with 12 kilograms when adult. Due to frequently people will leave it at the temple and calls it as “Tow- Wat”. Its size is very different in each age range so people may get confused and often call its name wrong. When it’s young, its tortoiseshell is round like lotus’s leave which leads to the name as “Tow-Bua” and will change to be long-oval at the same time with dark turn to be black when it is adult so people call it as “Tow-Mor” because of its black tortoiseshell that looks like pot. When it is young, its head is green with yellow strip and expanded white spots then turns to be yellow when adult. Sometimes, it is found at marsh so calls it as “Tow-Biung-Hua-Leang”

Habitat / Food : It has been found at Central part of Thailand, Indochina and Malaysia. It likes to eat vegetable, fruit, worm and insect.

Behavior / Mating : It prefers to live in creek downstream like swamp. It lays around 4-6 eggs in each time.

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, Nakhon Ratchasima Zoo