Taedonggang terrapin lives in the basin of the Taedong River flowing through Honam-ri, Samsok District, Pyongyang.
The riverbed and its surroundings covered with sand and muddy sand are overgrown with weeds and rich in feed sources such as fish, earthworm, mud-snail, shell, etc.
The terrapin weighs about 1 kg, with its carapace 20 cm long in general.
Between early May and late August, it creeps up to the sandy riverside and digs a hole to lay 10 to 50 eggs there.
It takes six to seven years for a baby terrapin to attain full growth.
Its meat is tasty, and its carapace, bone and blood are widely used as Koryo medicine.
The DPRK designated the Taedonggang terrapin as a living monument and is protecting and propagating them.