Its shell is brown with a hint of green, spotted yellow. Although this can vary depending on what area of Europe the terrapins from.

It lives in and around slow-flowing water and hibernates for up to seven months of the year at the bottom of the water buried in the mud. Our group hibernate from mid-November until April.

The European Pond Terrapin is one of only two freshwater turtles native to Europe. Although it is widely distributed across Europe, it is seriously threatened by the decline and deterioration of its wetlands habitat and by competition with the introduced Red-eared Slider.