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Encyclopedia / Turtles / Black marsh turtle
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Variations

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Black marsh turtle

Siebenrockiella crassicollis · Siamese temple turtle

Shy and aquatic; may eat fish.

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20 cmAdult size ✓
UnknownTemperature ?
UnknownpH ?
UnknownSmallest tank ?
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This one is best kept on its own, or with its own kind.

Not recommended
  • Black marsh turtle should be kept without other species, and it needs a land area too.
Not recommended
  • Black marsh turtle should be kept without other species, and it needs a land area too.
Not recommended
  • Black marsh turtle should be kept without other species, and it needs a land area too.
Facts checked against sources on 16 Oct 2026. ✓ means a source backs it; ? means no reliable source yet. See sources

Care and water

Hardness ?Unknown
Group size ?Can live alone
Temperament ?Semi-aggressive
Swims at ✓Bottom
Care level ?Moderate
Diet Carnivore
Lifespan ✓up to 60 years
Size in shops 3–5 cm
Growth Medium

Behavior

Shy and aquatic; may eat fish.

Check your local laws. CITES Appendix II (since 2003): international trade needs CITES permits. IUCN Endangered (2021). Protected in Thailand (Wild Animals Reservation and Protection Act). USA: turtles under 4 inches (10 cm) carapace may not be sold commercially (FDA). Check the rules where you live before you buy one, and never release it into the wild.

Good to know: Needs a basking dock with UV and heat lamp and deep water. Never house with fish.

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Food

Pellets, worms and shrimp.

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Male or female

Males have a slightly concave plastron and a thicker, longer tail; females have a flat plastron and usually keep the pale head spots, which fade in adult males. Both sexes reach about the same size.

Health

Common problems. Tap one to see the signs. This is a guide, not a diagnosis.

Breeding

Egg-layer (buried clutch) · Moderate

Nests on land, mainly April-June; in the wild females lay 3-4 clutches of only 1-2 large eggs each. Courting males bob their heads and bite the female's legs and shell.

Pairing

Pair.

Setup

Large aquatic tank with land.

What starts it

Warm season.

Eggs

1-2 eggs per clutch (captive clutches usually a single elongated egg, about 52 x 28 mm); incubation 68-84 days at 29-30 °C, up to 112 days at 25 °C; hatchlings 4.3-4.6 cm.

Raising the fry

Hatchlings are fully independent: house them in shallow warm water with a basking spot and feed small pellets, worms and daphnia daily.

Common mistakes
  • Undersized tank and weak filtration
  • No UV or basking heat (soft shells, poor growth)
  • Releasing unwanted turtles into the wild
Full breeding guide, day-by-day plan and simulator →

Where it lives in the wild

RegionSoutheast Asia – Thailand, Malaysia, Sumatra, Java & Borneo
Rivers and lakesLowland swamps of Sundaland
HabitatSwamps, marshes and slow streams
Native rangeAbout 1,500 km across
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The story of the black marsh turtle

An almost all-black Southeast Asian freshwater turtle with a pale spot behind each eye; kept as a sacred animal in Thai Buddhist temple ponds, hence 'Siamese temple turtle'.

John Edward Gray described the black marsh turtle in 1831. It lives in lowland swamps of Southeast Asia. It is often called the 'smiling turtle' for its mouth shape.

First described by John Edward Gray in 1831. Named for Genus honours Austrian herpetologist Friedrich Siebenrock.

  • It is called the 'smiling turtle'.
  • It is mostly active at night.
  • Its name crassicollis means 'thick-necked'.

Sources

12 facts checked with sources