Learn about the McCord’s Box Turtle in this Bitesize Bonus Episode of the Sedgwick County ZooCast.
READ AUDIO TRANSCRIPT
VIGNETTE (00:00)
A man stands in his office, and before him sits a box. The box is in no way ornate. It’s unremarkable; sterile and plain. But the contents of the box, that’s another matter.
The box has traveled far- more than 8 thousand miles from Hong Kong all the way to Fairfax, Virginia.
The contents were purchased in markets and from locals of the southwest Guangxi Province. It’s an area that shares a border with Vietnam. It’s a mountainous region, with freshwater streams and shallow wetlands.
Upon opening the box, the contents are revealed to be twelve turtles. They all have narrow heads and are yellow-green in color. These turtles are small, and can easily fit in the palm of one’s hand.
The year is 1988, and Dr. Carl H. Ernst is about to make a fascinating discovery.
INTRO (00:59)
Hello, and welcome to the Sedgwick County ZooCast Bitesize Bonus.
I’m your host, Emily Bishop, and in this mini episode we’ll give you the Zoo Scoop on how SCZ is working to increase the population of the McCord’s Box Turtle.
THE HISTORY OF THE MCCORD’S BOX TURTLE (01:23)
While I hope you’ll forgive my, rather apocryphal story this episode beings with, I have always had a flair for the dramatic- the basic facts are true.
In 1988, Doctor Carl H. Ernst published the paper “Cuora McCordi, A New Chinese Box Turtle from Guangxi Province.” This is the first documented mention of these turtles in a western publication.
And it is true that Ernst’s description in his paper were based on observations of 12 specimen delivered by Oscar Shui, a Hong Kong based turtle dealer.
When you picture someone “discovering” a new species, you probably picture someone dressed head to toe in khaki, exploring a distant land, forging through the quote unquote “unexplored wilderness.” It conjures images of Charles Darwin on the Galapagos Islands, or Van Pelt from “Jumanji.”
You don’t picture a new species being noted in the same year “Die Hard” was released in theaters and Capcom released “Street Fighter.” But it’s true.
Now, while Ernst might have scientifically “discovered” and named this turtle, people knew about its existence for decades prior. There are stories from local villagers of the Guangxi Province about throwing these turtles at water buffaloes due to the turtles sometimes being more abundant than stones. Allegedly.
But by the time our story begins in 1988, the McCord’s Box Turtle had seen a severe decrease in population.
In the late 20th century, exotic pet sales boomed, and the international turtle trade reached Guangxi Province in the late 70s. These turtles were caught both for use in traditional Chinese Medicine, for food, and for sale in pet trade. Pollution and habitat destruction have also contributed to the decrease in the McCord’s Turtle population.
In 2000, The IUCN Red List marked the McCord’s Box Turtle as Critically Endangered.
It wasn’t until the early 2000s that these turtles were documented in the wild. A 2007 expedition for these turtles discovered them in slow moving, shallow streams. Local residents told researchers that the turtles would often hide beneath bamboo foliage, or under bamboo roots, making them difficult to spot.
But the turtle’s scarcity in the wild was noted not just by researchers, but locals as well. In a 2007 interview, a man claimed that in the 90s, he could sell a turtle for around $5. But at the time of the interview, he would be offered around $2,000 per turtle.
MCCORD’S BOX TURTLE CONSERVATION (03:56)
You might be wondering how the turtle’s population has changed over the years since that initial expedition. Well, they’re presumed extinct. No McCord’s Box Turtles have been observed in the wild since 2010.
They only exist in captive breeding programs.
Which brings us to the Sedgwick County Zoo, which is home to two adult McCord’s Box Turtles, who in summer 2023, successfully produced a single offspring.
McCord’s Box Turtles can lay clutches of one to six eggs. Our female laid a single egg, and after 90 days of incubation, it successfully hatched.
If you’ve ever visited SCZ and gone through the amphibians and reptiles building, you might be thinking to yourself, “I don’t think I’ve ever seen the McCord’s Box Turtle.” And you’d be right.
Our McCord’s box Turtles are actually not on exhibit. They’re kept in a behind the scenes facility. There are hundreds more animals that call Sedgwick County Zoo home than just the ones you see when you visit.
If you’re wondering why that is, there are a couple reasons. One is simply space. We don’t have the space to allow all of our animals to be available for human viewing. And if we did, it would take you days to visit the Zoo and see them all.
But just because an animal isn’t on exhibit one day doesn’t mean it won’t be in the future. We often rotate our animals on and off exhibit.
Another reason is, like with our McCord’s Box Turtles- conservation.
When we’re trying to successfully breed our animals, we often take them off exhibit. This way they can be more closely monitored by zookeepers, and have a little privacy as well.
This is the first time Sedgwick County Zoo has bred McCord’s Box Turtles. Prior to now, we didn’t have a breeding recommendation from the Species Survival Plan. This program manages the population of endangered animals across Zoos that are accredited with the Association of Zoos and Aquariums.
By successfully breeding McCord’s Box Turtles, SCZ is helping to ensure future generations are able see and learn about these turtles.
LEARN ABOUT WILD LIGHTS (05:56)
That’s what’s new at zoo with the McCord’s Box Turtle breeding program. But keep listening after a brief message about upcoming Zoo events to learn about where this turtle gets its name from.
Follow the white rabbit to a land of wonder at this year’s Wild Lights.
Come face-to-face with One-of-a-kind Asian Lantern Sculptures. Maybe a Cheshire cat will cross your path, or the queen’s guard of playing cards. Be the guest of honor at a tea party hosted by a hatter and a hare.
Wednesday through Sunday, October 11 through December 17 from 6pm to 9pm.
Tickets start at $15 and are available online or in person.
Journey through the looking glass at Wild Lights.
HOW THE MCCORD’S BOX TURTLE GOT ITS NAME (06:56)
In general, naming conventions for animals are fairly simple- they’re usually named after a physical description, like the spotted turtle. Named after where they’re found, like the Galapagos turtle. Or named after a person, which is the case with the McCord’s Box Turtle.
This turtle is named after Dr. William Patrick McCord, a veterinarian and turtle expert. And this isn’t the only turtle named after him. The Roti Island snake-necked turtle, which can be found in Indonesia, is more commonly known as McCord’s snakeneck turtle.
In his aforementioned 1988 paper, “Cuora McCordi, A New Chinese Box Turtle from Guangxi Province,” Dr. Ernst thanks Dr. McCord in the paper’s acknowledgements for critically reviewing his manuscript. When explaining the etymology of this turtle in his paper, Ernst wrote, quote: “The name Mccordi honors Dr. William P. McCord, who first realized the uniqueness of this turtle, and whose husbandry efforts involve freshwater turtles of the world.”
OUTRO (08:00)
Thanks for listening to this Bitesize Bonus episode of the Sedgwick County ZooCast.
For more information on McCord’s Box Turtle breeding, be sure to follow us on social media, which is linked in the description of this episode. And check out our website: scz.org
I’ve been Emily Bishop and we hope you enjoyed this mini episode of the Sedgwick County ZooCast.
