A small, shy, and beautifully patterned turtle found in parts of Southeast Asia, including southern China, Vietnam, and Laos. It lives in slow-moving streams, forested rivers, and shady wetlands, where it blends in perfectly with the leaf-covered forest floor. This turtle gets its name from the two round, pale spots behind its eyes — markings that look like a second pair of eyes. These “false eyes” are thought to confuse predators, making the turtle look more alert and harder to sneak up on. Its shell is dark brown with subtle ridges, while its head and neck have lovely yellow lines and a gentle, curious expression that makes it a favorite among turtle enthusiasts.

The four-eyed turtle is mostly active during dawn and dusk. It’s an omnivore, meaning it eats both plants and animals. Its diet includes insects, worms, soft leaves, fallen fruits, and even snails or small crustaceans. It plays an important role in its environment by helping control insect populations and cleaning up fallen plant material in streams. These turtles are not strong swimmers like some other species. Instead, they prefer to walk slowly along the bottom of shallow waters or hide under rocks and plants, making them hard to find in the wild.

Unlike turtles that bask in the sun for hours, the four-eyed turtle prefers shady, quiet spots. It spends much of its time hidden, which is part of what makes it such a mysterious and special species. It’s also very peaceful — rarely aggressive and usually very calm, even when handled. Because of its unique appearance and gentle nature, it has sadly become a target for the illegal pet trade, and wild populations have declined sharply.

Distribution

Country

Population est.

Status

Year

Comments

China

2018

Guangdong, Guangxi, Hainan

Laos

2018

Vietnam

2018