Burmese Peacock Turtle Facts - Photos - Earth's Endangered Creatures

Burmese Peacock Turtle

Scientific Name:

Morenia ocellata

Other Names and/or Listed subspecies:

Bengal Eyed Terrapin (Turtle), Swamp Turtle

Group:

Reptiles

Status/Date Listed as Endangered:

EN-US FWS: June 14, 1976

VU-IUCN: 2000

Area(s) Where Listed As Endangered:

Burma

Creature Profile

The Burmese peacock turtle is an aquatic turtle found in the lower reaches of the Ayeyarwady (Irrawaddy) River in southern Myanmar and also possibly found as far north as Mandalay and in the Doke-tha-wady at Shwe sar yan. It has a domed shell that reaches around 9 inches in length. Color ranges from light to dark greenish brown. Its underparts are yellow and it has pale yellow eye-like circles that appear on each scute (bony sections covering the shell), giving it it's name. Two yellow streaks appear on each side of the head.

Burmese peacock turtles are found in rivers, swamps, streams, and ponds. Sometimes they are observed stranded on the land during the dry season. Little is known about the reproductive behavior of this species.

Although the species appears to be abundant and are widely available in local markets, it is listed as endangered with the US FWS. Threats to the species may include habitat degradation and overcapture by the Chinese market for medicinal purposes.

Wikipedia Article

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Wikipedia Article
Copyright Notice: This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Burmese eyed turtle".

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Burmese Peacock Turtle Facts Last Updated:
May 9, 2017

To Cite This Page:
Mugo, C. R. 2025. "Earth's Endangered Creatures - Burmese Peacock Turtle Facts" (Online). Accessed 4/21/2026 at https://earthsendangered.com/profile.asp?sp=475&ID=3.

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« Previous Page

Burmese Peacock Turtle Facts Last Updated:
May 9, 2017

To Cite This Page:
Mugo, C. R. 2025. "Earth's Endangered Creatures - Burmese Peacock Turtle Facts" (Online). Accessed 4/21/2026 at https://earthsendangered.com/profile.asp?sp=475&ID=3.

Need more Burmese Peacock Turtle facts?

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Eight Species Declared Extinct But May Still be Out There

1. Tasmanian Tiger
The Tasmanian tiger is endemic to Australia. Although this species is called tiger (named for its stripes) and wolf (due to its canid-like appearance), it is not a member of the cat or wolf family. It is a member of the marsupial family. Other members of this family include kangaroos and koala bears.

The last known Tasmanian tiger died in a zoo in Hobart, Tasmania in 1936, but there have been hundreds of unconfirmed sightings, and a reserve has been set up in Southwestern Tasmania in the hopes that possible surviving individuals can have adequate habitat.