Euphrates softshell turtle
Euphrates softshell turtle | |
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Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Reptilia |
Order: | Testudines |
Suborder: | Cryptodira |
Family: | Trionychidae |
Genus: | Rafetus |
Species: | R. euphraticus
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Binomial name | |
Rafetus euphraticus (Daudin, 1801)
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Synonyms[3] | |
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The Euphrates softshell turtle (Rafetus euphraticus), also known as the Mesopotamian softshell turtle,
The Euphrates softshell turtle is an endangered species that primarily is threatened by habitat loss and alteration, especially the building of dams,[5] but to lesser extent also pollution and killing by fishermen.[6]
History
The Euphrates softshell turtle became known to western science when the French naturalist Guillaume-Antoine Olivier shot a specimen while crossing the Euphrates near Anah in June 1797.[7] The local residents told him that the meat of this animal was not good to eat, but its fat was considered an excellent medication for a variety of skin diseases. Olivier named the species Testudo rafcht, because, as he said "the Arabs called it rafcht".[8]
Olivier's book did not explain what the name meant in
Later naturalists apparently often misread Olivier's rafcht as rafeht.[11] The name Rafetus euphraticus, and the genus Rafetus itself, were proposed by John Edward Gray in 1864, who mentions in his work that the species had been variously known as Trionyx euphraticus, Testudo euphraticus, Trionyx rafeht, Tyrse rafeht, or Testudo rafeht.[12]
Appearance
This freshwater turtle can weigh up to 20 kg (44 lb),[4] and it has a smooth leathery shell that can reach up to 68 cm (2.2 ft) in length.[5] The sexes are apparently alike in size and general appearance.[5] The upperparts are typically dull olive in colour, sometimes with an indistinct spotted pattern, especially on the head.[5] There are some minor variations in the colour pattern,[4] and rarely individuals may be dark brown or even black above.[5]
Habitat
The Euphrates softshell turtle has been found in a wide range of freshwater habitats such as rivers, streams, lakes, ponds, reservoirs and marshlands.
Behaviour
The Euphrates softshell turtle is mainly active during the day, but some night-activity also occurs.[5] In parts of its range it is infrequently seen during the winter, likely due to the lower temperature.[5][13]
Feeding
Little is known about its feeding preference, but the species has generally been considered a carnivore. It is sometimes seen feeding on carcasses, is easily attracted by lowering a nylon bag filled with lamb blood into the water and fishermen often complain about it taking fish from their nets.[5] However, it has also been caught on lines baited with watermelon, an individual defecated a partially digested tomato and local farmers claim their crops sometimes are eaten by the species.[5] A fecal analysis of 30 individuals mostly revealed remains of crabs and plants, but also insects, birds, fish, river-bed material and debris, leading to the conclusion that the Euphrates softshell turtle is an opportunistic omnivore.[5]
Breeding
Nesting in this species is seasonal, but exact timing depends on the region.[13] The nest is dug by the female in a bank of a river and it can be up to 50 cm (1.6 ft) deep.[14] The site can be bare sand or a sand-soil mix with vegetation.[13] In one case a nest was placed about 4.1 m (13 ft) from the water's edge, in a sand bank with an incline of almost 15°.[14] Each nest can contain up to 32 eggs.[14] The eggs are white,[14] and have a diameter of 2.3–3.0 cm (0.9–1.2 in).[13] When hatching the young have a carapace length of 3.9–5.5 cm (1.5–2.2 in).[5] In some regions a female may nest twice in a season.[5] Adults and sub-adults often have claw or bite marks, indicating frequent aggression between individuals.[5]
Endangered status
The Euphrates softshell turtle is an
References
- ^ . Retrieved 14 November 2021.
- ^ "Appendices | CITES". cites.org. Retrieved 2022-01-14.
- ISSN 1864-5755. Archived from the original(PDF) on 2011-05-01. Retrieved 29 May 2012.
- ^ a b c d e f Mobaraki, A.; A. Mola (2011). "Mesopotamian soft shell turtle (Rafetus euphraticus), the strangest turtle of the Middle East" (PDF). Wildlife Middle East Newsletter. 5 (4): 6.
- ^ S2CID 244893991.
- ^ S2CID 86464224.[permanent dead link]
- ^ a b Voyageurs et explorateurs provençaux, By Henri Barré, Michel Clerc, Paul Gaffarel, G. de Laget, H. Pellissier, Raymond Teisseire. Page 133.
- ^ a b Olivier, Guillaume-Antoine (1807), Voyage dans l'Empire othoman, l'Égypte et la Perse: fait par ordre du Gouvernement..., vol. 6, H. Agasse, an 9 (1801 )-1807, pp. 325–328. See also plate 41 in the accompanying atlas Archived 2016-03-04 at the Wayback Machine. As Olivier wrote in French, his ch more or less corresponds to the English sh, or to š used in the standard transcription of the Arabic.
- ^ E.g., the leaflet سلحفاة الفرات طريّة الترس Rafetus euphraticu، أغرب سلاحف الماء الحلو في الشرق الأوسط from the WME News web site, which also has an English version, Mesopotamian softshell turtle (Rafetus euphraticus), the strangest fresh water turtle of the Middle East. Al-rafš(الرفش) is also contained in a number of web page found by a Google search on "سلحفاة الفرات", which is the Arabic for "Euphrates Turtle" (as seen in the above WME leaflet).
- ^ Daudin, François Marie; Sonnini, Charles S. (1801), Histoire naturelle, générale et particulière des reptiles: ouvrage faisant suite à l'histoire naturelle générale et particulieère, composée par Leclerc de Buffon, et rédigée par C. S. Sonnini, membre de plusieurs sociétés savantes, vol. 2, Dufart, pp. 305–308
- ^ "Rafetus euphraticus" in: UWE FRITZ and PETER HAVAŠ, Checklist of Chelonians of the World Archived 2011-06-23 at the Wayback Machine, pp. 181-182. "Tyrse rafeht Gray (ex errore pro Testudo rafcht Olivier, 1807", etc.)
- Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London: 76–98.
- ^ ISBN 9789384468361.
- ^ a b c d e Biricik, M.; Turğa, S. (2011). "Description of an Euphrates Softshell Turtle (Rafetus euphraticus) nest from the Tigris River (SE Turkey)". Salamandra. 47 (2): 99–102.