Yellow-headed Temple Turtle

Yellow-headed Temple Turtle (Heosemys annandalii) is a reptile recorded for Vietnam in the project inventory. Its supporting occurrence note is “Expert range list”. The accepted scientific name is retained because regional taxonomy and species boundaries can change, while similar-looking taxa may require detailed morphology or genetic evidence for reliable separation. This profile therefore distinguishes the recorded identity and occurrence from broader biological context instead of inventing unsupported locality, size, diet or breeding details (project species data; Reptile Database taxonomy).

Heosemys pond turtles are robust Asian freshwater turtles using marshes, slow waterways, flooded forest and wet ground according to species. They feed opportunistically on aquatic plants, fruit, carrion and small animals and may travel overland between water bodies. Shell shape and head pattern help separate related taxa. These are genus-level notes rather than confirmed observations for this Vietnamese record, so exact size, habitat, diet and clutch figures are not inferred (general Heosemys account; Reptile Database).