A Chinese box turtle makes its debut in England
August 12, 2008 | 3:41
pm
A endangered Chinese box turtle that recently hatched at Bristol Zoo gets its close-up today with the help of a zoo curator in Bristol, England.
The turtle currently weighs just 15 grams (slightly more than half an ounce), whereas an adult box turtle weighs about 800 grams (around 1.7 pounds). The turtles can reach lengths of about 6 inches and live up to 50 years.
Chinese box turtles are hunted for their meat for use in medicine or as pets and have been listed as endangered on the International Union for Conservation of Nature's Red List of Threatened Species .
-- Francisco Vara-Orta
Photo: Matt Cardy / Getty Images
