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How do Asian box turtles differ from North American box turtles in their habitats?

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Illustrations of ten representative chelonians, including spiny softshell turtle, Galapagos giant tortoise, green turtle, alligator snapping turtle, Blanding's turtle, common map turtle, eastern box turtle, eastern painted turtle, spotted turtle, and eastern mud turtle, each labeled with its common and scientific name. A scale bar at the bottom shows size comparison. — turtle Turtles (order Testudines).

Asian and North American box turtles differ significantly in their environmental preferences and geographic ranges:

Asian Box Turtles (Cuora): These turtles are primarily found in the subtropical and tropical regions of Asia, ranging from northeastern India to southeastern China, the Philippines, and the Sunda Islands. They are largely semiaquatic, typically spending much of their time in forest ponds and streams.12
North American Box Turtles (Terrapene): These species inhabit cool to warm temperate regions across the United States, Mexico, and southernmost Canada. While they are generally strongly terrestrial—often preferring moist forest habitats—there is one notable exception: the Coahuilan box turtle (T. coahuila), which is semiaquatic.12

In summary, while Asian box turtles are consistently semiaquatic, North American box turtles are predominantly terrestrial, with the exception of the semiaquatic Coahuilan species.12