Zhou's box turtle

Description

Cuora zhoui is a very rare turtle from the family Geoemydidae.The species was first scientifically described by Er-mi Zhao at Zhao,Ting Zhou and Ping Ye in 1990.The back shield is maximally 17 centimeters long and is elliptical in shape and quite spherical,the horn plates are smooth.On the shield there are three low keels,the color is dark brown to black,the belly shield is large and black in color with a yellow mark.The head is light brown to yellow and strongly contrasts with the dark shield.The upper jaw is crocheted and beak-shaped,between the eye and the nostril a yellow,dark-lined stripe runs.Males can be distinguished from females by a pit in the belly shield,a longer and thicker tail and a cloaca protruding outside the shield.