---
title: "Mediterranean Turtle"
description: "Mauremys leprosa — Reptiles. The Iberian pond turtle (Mauremys leprosa), also known as the Mediterranean pond turtle or Mediterranean turtle, is a species of turtle in the family Geoemydidae."
canonical: https://animalchecklist.com/animal/mediterranean-turtle
last_updated: 2026-09-20
---

# Mediterranean Turtle

> Mauremys leprosa — Reptiles. The Iberian pond turtle (Mauremys leprosa), also known as the Mediterranean pond turtle or Mediterranean turtle, is a species of turtle in the family Geoemydidae.

- Scientific name: *Mauremys leprosa*
- Category: `reptiles` (Reptiles)
- Habitats: `freshwater` (Lakes & rivers)
- iNaturalist observations: 6452
- Wikidata: [Q582797](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q582797)
- iNaturalist taxon: [39976](https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/39976)

## Names

- en: Mediterranean Turtle
- de: Spanische Wasserschildkröte
- es: Galápago leproso
- fr: Émyde lépreuse
- nl: Moorse beekschildpad
- pt: Cágado-mediterrânico
- pl: Żółw hiszpański

## Countries with the most observations

ES (3073), PT (1851), MA (763), DZ (180), FR (67), TN (27), DE (3)

## Summary

The Iberian pond turtle (Mauremys leprosa), also known as the Mediterranean pond turtle or Mediterranean turtle, is a species of turtle in the family Geoemydidae. The species is endemic to southwestern Europe and northwestern Africa.

Text: Wikipedia (en), CC BY-SA 4.0 — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iberian_pond_turtle

## Photo

![Mediterranean Turtle](https://animalchecklist.com/img/animals/mediterranean-turtle/medium.jpg)

Photo: Federico Biguzzi · CC0 · inaturalist — https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/141246540

## Machine access

`GET https://animalchecklist.com/api/v1/animals/mediterranean-turtle?lang=en` — see [openapi.json](https://animalchecklist.com/openapi.json).