Geoclemys hamiltonii
Silhouette: SeismicShrimp · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~80% in a week >90%
The black pond turtle (Geoclemys hamiltonii), also known commonly as the spotted pond turtle and the Indian spotted turtle, is a species of freshwater turtle in the family Geoemydidae. The species, which is endemic to South Asia, belongs to the monotypic genus Geoclemys.
The specific name, hamiltonii, is in honor of Scottish botanist and ichthyologist Francis Hamilton. G. hamiltonii is mainly black with small yellowish or white spots, and a much-elevated carapace, with three interrupted keels or series of nodose prominences corresponding to the vertebral and costal shields. The posterior border of the carapace is strongly serrated in young, but feebly in the adult. The nuchal is moderate, broader posteriorly than anteriorly. The first vertebral is not or scarcely broader anteriorly than posteriorly. The second and third vertebrals are broader than long in the young, nearly as long as broad in the adult, narrower than the costals. The plastron is large, angulate laterally, truncate anteriorly. The posterior lobe of the plastron is much narrower than the opening of the shell, nearly as long as the width of the bridge, deeply notched posteriorly. The head... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kaziranga National Park | 🇮🇳 India |
More parks will be added in future updates.
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Diego Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Nordens Ark | 🇸🇪 Sweden | |
| 3 | Toronto Zoo | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 4 | Bronx Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 5 | Kadoorie Farm and Botanic Garden | 🇭🇰 Hong Kong SAR China | |
| 6 | Safari Madrid | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 7 | Sanjay Gandhi Biological Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 8 | 南昌新动物园 | 🇨🇳 China | |
| 9 | Pombia Safari Park | 🇮🇹 Italy | |
| 10 | Bannerghatta Zoo | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 11 | Louisiana Purchase Gardens and Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 12 | Fort Worth Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 13 | Zoo Knoxville | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 14 | Memphis Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 15 | Gembira Loka Zoo | 🇮🇩 Indonesia | |
| 16 | National Zoological Gardens of Sri Lanka | 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka | |
| 17 | Ellen Trout Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 18 | 黔灵山动物园 | 🇨🇳 China | |
| 19 | Snake Farm of Queen Saovabha Memorial Institute | 🇹🇭 Thailand | |
| 20 | Reptile House | 🇭🇰 Hong Kong SAR China | |
| 21 | Bangkok Aquarium | 🇹🇭 Thailand | |
| 22 | Rohtak Zoo | 🇮🇳 India |
Likely
About 40% of wildlife watchers report a Black Pond Turtle sighting in Kaziranga National Park on a given day, based on 20 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 6th most-seen of the 8 reptiles we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 80%, and over a week to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
April and December
In those months about 50% of wildlife watchers report a Black Pond Turtle in Kaziranga National Park on a given day, against under 5% in February, the lowest month.
Between 5 and 8 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Black Pond Turtle sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Only Kaziranga National Park, in our data
Kaziranga National Park is the only park on Wallace's Line with enough records to rate Black Pond Turtle sightings: about 40% of wildlife watchers there report one on a given day.
Same family: Geoemydidae
The closest relatives of the Black Pond Turtle that you can see in Kaziranga National Park (family Geoemydidae, Eurasian Pond, River, and Neotropical Wood Turtles) are Assam Roofed Turtle (about 50%) and Indian Roofed Turtle (about 40%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Black Pond Turtle is recorded against all the reptiles logged in Kaziranga National Park (20 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), 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.
