Chinese three-striped box turtle  (Cuora trifasciata)

The contrasting bright colour pattern of the Chinese three-striped box turtle makes it one of the most attractive of all turtles (4). The long, flat carapace is brown and characterised by having three distinct black longitudinal stripes, for which the species earns its common name (5). The plastron is almost entirely black, but has a partially yellow border, and the underside of the marginals is bright pinkish-orange, with some small dark blotches (2) (5). The head is narrow and pointed, and exhibits an array of colours, being yellow to olive-green on top, with a yellow-orange patch behind the eye and a thick black line extending from the nose across the side of the face (2) (5). The upper and lower jaws are yellow, but the underside of the neck is pink or orange (5). Likewise, the limb sockets and underside of the limbs and tail are a brilliant pinkish-orange, while the sides of the limbs are brown, grey or olive-green (4). The male's plastron is slightly indented, and the male generally has a longer, thicker tail than the female (2) (5). The plastron is hinged, which allows the turtle to conceal its tail, head and limbs by closing up the shell when disturbed (6) (7).