📸 PhotoPhoto: User:OpenCage · CC BY-SA 2.5 · Wikimedia Commons Source
Okinawa Black-breasted Leaf Turtle
Geoemyda japonica (Okinawa Black-breasted Leaf Turtle · リュウキュウヤマガメ)
💡 Everyday Comparisons for Size, Mass & Speed
- 💡 A maximum carapace length of 15 cm is similar to the length of a smartphone (about 15 cm) (Comparison).
- 💡 It is featured as one of the flagship species of Kumejima in a Ramsar wetland guide published by Japan's Ministry of the Environment (Ministry of the Environment Ramsar guide).
Reference standards: coach bus ~12 m, mid-size car ~4.9 m, compact car ~1 t, basketball hoop 3.05 m, credit card 8.56 cm.
📖 1. Overview
The Okinawa Black-breasted Leaf Turtle is a turtle endemic to the Okinawa Islands of Japan, living in moist areas of mountain forests. Its IUCN status is Endangered (EN) as of 2000.
🦴 2. Anatomy & Morphology
Its carapace is 13–15 cm long and has a serrated, jagged margin.
🔍 3. Ecology & Behavior
It lives in moist habitats within mountain forests. Materials from Japan's Ministry of the Environment provide no description of its diet.
🇰🇷 4. Connection to Korea
No direct record connecting this species to Korea has been found.
📚 Sources & References
- • IUCN Red List EN (2000) — https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/9042/97362115
- • IUCN Red List category EN — latest assessment at iucnredlist.org
- • catalogueoflife.org — 3FPPM
- • iucnredlist.org — 97362115
- • wikidata.org — Q305914
- • commons.wikimedia.org — File:Geoemyda japonica by OpenCage.jpg
- • env.go.jp — kumejima.pdf
- • Silhouette: PhyloPic — Idamara Fernandes Santa Cruz · CC0 1.0 (Related taxon silhouette — Rhinoclemmys punctularia)
Recorded dimensions are widely cited representative estimates from public literature and may vary by study or specimen.