The Chinese soft-shelled turtle is a reptile, cold-blooded animal that lives in rivers, lakes, ponds, reservoirs and other freshwater waters with gentle flow and abundant fish and shrimps. It is also often found in mountain streams.
Activities are more frequent near quiet, clean, sunny water banks. Sometimes they go ashore but not too far away from the water source. It can crawl and climb on land and swim freely in water.
Likes to bask in the sun or enjoy the cool breeze. Folk proverbs describe the turtle's activities as "walking on the beach when the water comes in spring, roosting in the shade of willows in the hot summer, going to the bottom of the water in the cool autumn, and crawling into the mire in the cold winter."
People in northern my country hibernate at the end of October and start looking for food in April of the following year. They like to eat fish, shrimps, insects, etc., and also eat aquatic plants, cereals and other plant food. They are particularly fond of eating spoiled bait such as smelly fish and rotten shrimps. If there is insufficient food, they will eat each other.
It is timid and afraid of sound. It lurks in water or mud during the day and comes out of the water to look for food at night ("catching turtles in an urn" or "turtle in an urn" refers to the use of this habit of turtles to bury the tank underground beside the water. The mouth is flat on the ground to form a trap, and the turtles fall into the tank while crawling for food and are captured).
The spawning point generally has a quiet, dry and sunny environment with soft soil. According to research and observation, the height from the water surface can accurately determine the rainfall of the year. Lifespan can reach over 60 years.
Chinese soft-shelled turtles are widely distributed in the wild in most areas of my country except Ningxia, Xinjiang, Qinghai and Tibet, especially in Hunan, Hubei, Jiangxi, Anhui, Jiangsu and other provinces with high production. It is also distributed in Japan, North Korea, Vietnam and other places.