What is the difference between the yellow pond turtle and the Chinese pond turtle? A quick guide to tell them apart

The yellow pond turtle is also known as: yellow-throated water turtle, stone coin turtle, fragrant turtle. The Chinese pond turtle is also known as: pond turtle, golden-thread turtle, etc. So what is the difference between the yellow pond turtle and the Chinese pond turtle?

The yellow pond turtle's skull has a bony zygomatic arch; the quadratojugal articulates with the postorbital and the jugal (zygomatic); the frontal is a pair, and its front end articulates with a pair of prefrontals in a “W” shape. The Chinese pond turtle's carapace is rather flat, with three longitudinal keels. The plastron is brownish yellow, and each scute has large dark brown blotches. The snout is short. The sides of the head and the throat have yellow stripes and yellow spots edged in dark color, extending backward to the neck.

The yellow pond turtle is also called the yellow-throated pond turtle; its shell length is about 15-20 cm, the head is small, the top of the head is smooth and olive green, the center of the upper beak is indented, the tympanum is distinct, two yellow lines run through the eye on each side of the head, and the throat is pale yellow. The carapace is flat, brownish yellow-green or brownish black, with three keels, the central one being more obvious, and the rear margin is slightly serrated. The plastron is yellow, and the outer side of each scute has a large ink-colored blotch. The limbs are rather flat, brownish gray on the outside and yellow on the inside, with five digits on the forelimbs and four toes on the hindlimbs, webbing between the digits and toes, and a slender short tail.

The Chinese pond turtle's body is elongated oval, the carapace is slightly raised, with three longitudinal keels, and the vertebral keel is obvious. The top of the head is blackish olive, the front skin is smooth, and the rear part has fine scales. The plastron is flat, with a notch at the rear end. The neck, limbs and exposed skin are grayish black or blackish olive. Males are smaller in size, have a long tail, and give off an odor. Females have a carapace from light brown to dark brown, a brownish black plastron, a shorter tail, and no odor. The sides of the head and neck have yellow linear markings, with three longitudinal ridges, and the rear margin is not serrated; males are black on the back or all black over the body, females are brown, with a little yellow on the ventral side, and both have dark brown markings; the limbs are rather flat, with claws, and the toes are fully webbed.