Anhui Province has a mild climate and diverse terrain, featuring many mountainous and hilly areas with rivers crisscrossing longitudinally and transversely. This environment is relatively suitable for the growth of turtles.
Yellow-margined Box Turtle
Yellow-margined Box Turtles are mostly distributed in Southern Anhui (Wannan), the Dabie Mountains, and hilly areas.
We all know that the crème de la crème among Yellow-margined Box Turtles is the "Anyuan". The full name of Anyuan is the Anhui Yellow-margined Box Turtle.
The Dabie Mountain range is particularly large. It is the watershed between the Yangtze River and the Huai River, located at the junction of three provinces in China: Hubei, Henan, and Anhui. The total area of the region is 67,000 square kilometers.
In such a grand mountainous area, the Anhui Yellow-margined Box Turtles live quietly. This is a paradise for their happy growth; I hope everyone will not disturb them.
Big-headed Turtle
Big-headed Turtles are distributed in the Southern Anhui region. The area around Mount Huangshan is one of their important distribution sites. The Big-headed Turtle is one of the rare and endangered turtle species unique to the Asian region.
Locals in Huangshan attach relatively high importance to the protection of Big-headed Turtles. Small rivers and other water bodies within the Mount Huangshan Scenic Area are among the habitats of the Big-headed Turtle, and signs are also posted inside the scenic area.
"After returning from the Five Great Mountains, one does not look at other mountains; after returning from Mount Huangshan, one does not look at the Five Great Mountains." The Big-headed Turtle is as domineering as Mount Huangshan is. The Big-headed Turtle possesses typical characteristics of ancient creatures and belongs to the rare "living fossil" species.
Please, please, do not catch wild Big-headed Turtles; they are too rare.
Yellow Pond Turtle
The Yellow Pond Turtle in Anhui is also called "Wanhou" (Anhui Pond Turtle) and belongs to the Northern "Little Green" Turtle variety. They are concentrated in the Anhui section of the Yangtze River basin and the hilly areas south of the Huai River.
They like to move around in streams, ponds, rice paddies, lakes, and surrounding moist grassy areas, and they prefer clear water quality. They like to gather together to bask in the sun.
My mom said that when she was little and helped the family transplant rice seedlings, there were turtles everywhere on the ridges of the fields, and children loved to catch them and throw them far away. Based on her description, they were a bit like the "Little Green" Turtles.
Beal’s Eyed Turtle
Beal’s Eyed Turtles are distributed in Huangshan, Xuancheng, and other places in Anhui. They like to survive in environments with slow water flow. The Beal’s Eyed Turtle has been listed in the "IUCN Red List of Threatened Species". It is under strict protection by international and domestic laws and regulations.
Beal’s Eyed Turtles have a slow growth rate and high incubation difficulty, which makes it difficult for their numbers to increase in a short period. Therefore, Beal’s Eyed Turtles are uncommon in the market. However, they are still favored by individual hobbyists.
Golden-headed Box Turtle
The Golden-headed Box Turtle is a turtle unique to China. It is very scarce, and is currently known to be distributed only in Southern Anhui areas such as Nanling, Yi County, Guangde, and Jing County. In other words, it is a turtle exclusive to Anhui in the whole world. It is a National Class I Protected Animal.
The head is golden yellow, and the back shell is blackish-brown; it is very beautiful.
Adult Golden-headed Box Turtles price up to several hundred thousand Yuan. At a breeding farm in Jinzhai, Anhui, 6 Golden-headed Box Turtle breeder turtles are valued at 3 million Yuan, averaging about 500,000 Yuan per turtle.
Chinese Pond Turtle
Having spoken of many "sky-high price" turtles, let’s talk about the common Chinese Pond Turtle (Grass Turtle). Although Chinese Pond Turtles can be bought "everywhere" and the price is cheap, pure wild Chinese Pond Turtles are also National Class II Protected Animals.
Wild Chinese Pond Turtles in Anhui are mainly distributed in Wuwei City, Wuhu.
They all say the endgame of turtle keeping is the Chinese Pond Turtle; the Chinese Pond Turtle is the "Big Boss" among all turtles!
Anhui is truly a propitious place giving birth to great talents, and it is also a holy land for turtle keeping, the pride of the people of Anhui.
Original article by 搬运工, if reproduced, please cite the source: https://www.kaipet.com/en/anhui-native-turtles-inventory-6-rare-famous-species-single-worth-500000-yuan
