HANOI, Dec. 11 (Xinhua) -- A kind of endangered turtles, the four-eyed turtle, which has been in Vietnam's list of animals in danger of extinction since 1939, was found in the country's central Quang Nam province, local newspaper Labor said on Monday.

    Experts from the Asian Turtle Conservation Network, a non-profit consortium of people, projects, and institutions based in Asia working to conserve the continent's turtles, have found the four-eyed turtle, whose scientific name is Sacalia quadriocellata, in the Song Thanh wildlife sanctuary.

    The conservation status of four-eyed turtles, found in some parts of China, Laos and Vietnam, in the International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) Red List 2006 is endangered. Key threats to them are hunting and trade.

    Their distinguishing features are two or four bright yellow or green spots in the back of head, three pale stripes on upper side of neck, and low smooth-edged carapace with up to 15 centimeters in length.

    Besides Sacalia quadriocellata, the experts have recently found some other rare turtle species in Quang Nam, including Mauremys annamensis and Manouria impressa.