Yellow-headed Temple Turtle

Fascinating facts about the Yellow-headed Temple Turtle

• A turtle that can stretch its shell over 20 inches (51 cm) long, the yellow-headed temple turtle is a large member of its family and occurs in wet forests.
• The name ‘yellow-headed temple turtle’ comes from the animal’s habit of being found near Buddhist temples within its range.
• In July 2012 the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) suspended trade of this species.
• When kept in a zoo, the yellow-headed temple turtle can live up to 35 years. Two individuals hatched at the Columbus Zoo in November 2019.
• A leech, Placobdelloides siamensis, is an ectoparasite of the yellow-headed temple turtle.

At a glance

About the Yellow-headed Temple Turtle

The yellow-headed temple turtle (Heosemys annandalii) can exceed 20 in (51 cm) in straight carapace length. It is aquatic and generally herbivorous, inhabiting wet forests and freshwater wetlands in Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, and possibly Myanmar. The leech Placobdelloides siamensis is an ectoparasite of this turtle. In captivity it may live up to 35 years, and two hatchlings were produced in November 2019 at the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium.

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