Freshwater turtles can be found all over Japan, in castle moats, shrine and temple ponds, lakes, irrigation ditches, etc etc
I'm no naturalist, so am not sure exactly which species these are. They might be Japanese Pond Turtles ( mauremys japonica), or they may be Chinese Pond Turtles or a hybrid as the various species are able to interbreed.
They are reptiles, so need to spend time basking in the sun, which is when they are easiest to see...
This last photo shows one crossing a road early in the morning heading to a small river...
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they are just beautiful :-)
ReplyDeleteThose look like red-eared sliders (Trachemys scripta elegans) to me. They are native to Mexico and the southern United States, but are one of the most popular turtles in the pet trade, so have escaped and become invasive in many places.
ReplyDeleteGreat pics, as always.
ReplyDeleteI also think they rather look like RES.
Always looking forward to seeing your photos - please keep them coming.