Shell shock! Rare Chinese turtle the size of a matchbox born in a British zoo

He is small enough to creep inside a matchbox, if he ever needs more protection than his own tiny shell.



And this Chinese box turtle, which hatched at Bristol Zoo three weeks ago, might be glad of the extra shelter.



His species, also known as yellow-margined box turtles, are hunted for meat and medicine in the wild.

The tiny turtle weighs just 15grams, the same as half a slice of bread

They are critically endangered - meaning this fellow's progress will be under the spotlight.



At the moment the turtle weighs half an ounce and measures 1.5in long, but will grow to around 6.5in.

An adult box turtle weighs around 800 grams, measures around 16cm long (6.5in) and can live up to 50 years.



The new arrival is smaller than a box of matches and lives in Bristol Zoo's reptile house alongside 14 adult box turtles, under the watchful eye of the zoo's team of reptile experts.



Tim Skelton, Bristol Zoo Gardens' curator of reptiles, said: 'Chinese box turtles are considered an endangered species so we are thrilled with this new arrival. It is doing very well, eating plenty and growing stronger every day.'

The endangered reptile was born in Bristol Zoo

He added: 'We have kept Chinese box turtles at the Zoo for three years and this is just our second hatch so it is fantastic news and will greatly help our understanding of the breeding and incubation of the more critically endangered turtles that we are trying to breed.'



There are nine species of box turtle listed by the International Union for Endangered Species (IUCN), seven of which are listed as 'critically endangered'.



Some box turtles are mainly terrestrial, although they will enter shallow water to hunt and soak. Others are more aquatic and can spend most of their time in water.

The new arrival is so small that it even struggled to eat a tiny worm

They live in a variety of habitats, from sub-tropical to temperate regions, and nearly always live near water.



Chinese box turtles are sociable animals and have been observed in groups on the banks of streams in the mountains or swimming in still, shallow water. They are omnivorous, meaning they feed both on animal and plant matter, and can live to more than 50 years old.