©Scott D. Gillingwater
August 20, 2018
For Future Generations
- as seen by -
Scott D. Gillingwater
This young Chinese three-striped box turtle hatchling (Cuora trifasciata) is critically endangered according to the IUCN Redlist of Threatened Species. It is part of a conservation assurance colony, and through genetic sequencing, we know that it is part of the Hainan Island clade. This species is almost extinct in the wild and has been listed by the Turtle Conservation Coalition as one of the top 25 most at-risk turtle species worldwide.
With so few of these turtles of known origin, it is important to keep animals of a particular geographic region as pure as possible for future conservation actions. It is hoped that young from this assurance colony may one day be reintroduced into the wild, once rampant illegal collection and habitat destruction can be brought under control.
EDITOR’S NOTE: This photo was chosen as one of the top submission for Wild View’s Time for Turtles assignment.
Canon 5D Mark II
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