Pelodiscus sinensis
Silhouette: Soledad Miranda-Rottmann · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~50%
The Chinese softshell turtle (Pelodiscus sinensis) is a species of softshell turtle that is native to mainland China (Inner Mongolia to Guangxi, including Hong Kong) and Taiwan, with records of escapees—some of which have established introduced populations—in a wide range of other Asian countries, as well as Spain, Brazil and Hawaii.
Populations native to Northeast China, Russia, Korea and Japan were formerly included in this species, but are now regarded as separate as the northern Chinese softshell turtle (P. maackii). Furthermore, localized populations in Guangxi and Hunan (where the Chinese softshell turtle also is present), as well as Vietnam, are recognized as the lesser Chinese softshell turtle (P. parviformis) and Hunan softshell turtle (P. axenaria).
The Chinese softshell turtle is a vulnerable species, threatened by disease, habitat loss, and collection for food such as turtle soup. Additionally, millions are now farmed, especially in China, to support the food industry, and it is the world's most economically important turtle.
Females of the Chinese softshell turtle can reach a straight-line carapace length of up to 33 cm (13 in) while the smaller males... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|
More parks will be added in future updates.
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Beijing Zoo | 🇨🇳 China | |
| 2 | Yaroslavl Zoo | 🇷🇺 Russia | |
| 3 | Kyiv Zoo | 🇺🇦 Ukraine | |
| 4 | Calgary Zoo | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 5 | National Zoo of Malaysia | 🇲🇾 Malaysia | |
| 6 | Parc de l'Auxois | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 7 | Ústí nad Labem Zoo | 🇨🇿 Czechia | |
| 8 | Nikolaev Zoo | 🇺🇦 Ukraine | |
| 9 | Kharkiv Zoo | 🇺🇦 Ukraine | |
| 10 | Minsk Zoo | 🇧🇾 Belarus | |
| 11 | Kazan Zoo & Botanical Garden | 🇷🇺 Russia | |
| 12 | Ueno Zoological Gardens (West Garden) | 🇯🇵 Japan | |
| 13 | Zagreb Zoo | 🇭🇷 Croatia | |
| 14 | Leningrad Zoo | 🇷🇺 Russia | |
| 15 | Hong Kong Zoological and Botanical Gardens | 🇨🇳 China | |
| 16 | Sao Paulo aquarium | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 17 | Aquarium Barcelona | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 18 | Exotarium Sosnowiec | 🇵🇱 Poland | |
| 19 | Edward Youde Aviary | 🇭🇰 Hong Kong SAR China | |
| 20 | Shanghai Ocean Aquarium | 🇨🇳 China | |
| 21 | Kharkiv Dolphinarium | 🇺🇦 Ukraine | |
| 22 | Bird Kingdom | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 23 | Reptile House | 🇭🇰 Hong Kong SAR China | |
| 24 | Aquarium de Vannes | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 25 | Dubai Aquarium and Underwater Zoo | 🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates | |
| 26 | Дэльфінарый | 🇧🇾 Belarus |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Chinese Soft-shelled Turtle sighting in Tokyo on a given day, based on 127 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 7th most-seen of the 15 reptiles we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 50%, if each day is a fresh chance.
April to November
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Chinese Soft-shelled Turtle in Tokyo on a given day, against under 5% in December to March, the lowest months.
Between noon and 3 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Chinese Soft-shelled Turtle sightings with a recorded time, and about 7 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
4th of 13
Of the 13 cities where we can rate Chinese Soft-shelled Turtle sightings, Tokyo ranks 4th at about 10%. The best odds are in Taichung (Taiwan, about 20%), Osaka (Japan, about 10%) and Taipei (Taiwan, about 10%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Chinese Soft-shelled Turtle is recorded against all the reptiles logged in Tokyo (127 verified sightings), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
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