Anybody know what this is? Thanks.

What is that, you ask? It's the scariest thing I've seen in a good while, that's what! I don't know about its origin, but I did have a look around to see to what extent it could be realistic. To my horror, it could be. There are several possibilities. Here's one. The Snake-Ceck turtle; he's Asian. If we can pin the species down, it might help us figure out something about the box, maybe?
Next, here's the Long-Neck Turtle from Australia...

 

Maybe it's something like this

Bixi


Bixi (mythology)

 

it's a carved turtle trinket box....& the price is right.

 

Good glory!!!! I think that's good! Bixi is a dragon with turtle's body...
http://everything.explained.today/Bixi_(mythology)/
That accounts for that FACE!
Very interesting, Laura...
So, then, Komo, a Bixi trinket box, maybe?
What are those ridges or canals for, I wonder?

 

NO!

 

those ridges inside are just cut marks , making it easier to hollow out......that's all they are..

 

Yeah , looks like the carver didn't finish his work!!

 

Too funny!

 

OHHHHHHHHHHHHH...
Thanks!

 

Geez, those turtles are cute compared to the large, ill-tempered, pointy-snouted, long-necked Florida softshell turtle, which is basically a walking, swimming mud-patty that bites...



~Cheryl

 

EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEKKKKKKKKK!

 

@chucktell - any indication how many legs your tortoise/turtle/dragon creature has? Four or six?

There is a French version of a dragon-turtle monster that has six legs and a human looking nose. It has a short neck and a tail, though.

Tarasque Images



A Japanese version LUCKY TURTLE :

The Divine Minogame Symbolizing Longevity

 

You are really ON THIS, Laura... clearly I was thinking way too inside the box... this has got to be a mythical character.
Oh, wait... box... like a box turtle... you're thinking outside the box!

 

Yeah. So far, I think the Chinese Bixi is the best bet.

I'm wondering if the neck is hollow all the way up to the hole in the mouth...?

 

This is so FUN. Investigating. Discovering.

 

I'm going to ping @kardinalisimo for this one.

 

Could it be it was purposely carved that way to leave support/strength for the thin dome structure of the turtle shell, if that makes sense....?

 

Laura and others. Thanks.
I think there might be something to the bixi idea.
(Mine has four legs. The neck is not hollow.)
Somebody has told me it's made from a bamboo root. I agree. Look at the following: http://forums.gardenweb.com/discussions/1737896/rhizome-monk
You can see where the shell came from, plus the underside. (Naturally occurring.)
They thought it might be a betel box for betel, a high-inducing gum, and its condiments.
I can't find anything like it anywhere though. Although I read it was a common thing to have a betel box in your house in countries where they use betel. I found lots of pictures of betel boxes, but no bamboo turtle betel boxes. Or anything close. It's very worn in places. I wonder if there's any way to estimate its age. Also, note the "H" type marking carved into it. There's actually one of these markings on each of the two pieces (body and shell).