Northern River Terrapin is one of Asia's largest freshwater and brackish turtles. The carapace of Northern River Terrapin is moderately depressed, with a vertebral keel in the young, which keel disappears in the adult; nuchal broader than long; first vertebral as broad in front as behind, or a little broader; vertebral 2 to 4 sub equal, much broader than long in the young, nearly as long as broad and as broad as the costal in the adult. The postero-lateral border of the third vertebral is strongly concave.