Northern river terrapin

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Northern river terrapin

Critically Endangered  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
CITES Appendix I (CITES)[1]
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Testudines
Suborder: Cryptodira
Superfamily: Testudinoidea
Family: Geoemydidae
Genus: Batagur
Species:
B. baska
Binomial name
Batagur baska
(Gray, 1830)[2]
Synonyms[3]
click to expand
  • Emys baska Gray, 1830
  • Emys batagur Gray, 1831
  • Testudo baska Gray, 1831
  • Trionyx (Tetraonyx) cuvieri Gray, 1831
  • Tetronyx longicollis Lesson, 1834
  • Tetronyx baska Duméril & Bibron, 1835
  • Tetraonyx lessonii Duméril & Bibron, 1835
  • Tetraonyx longicollis Duméril & Bibron, 1835
  • Clemmys (Clemmys) batagur Fitzinger, 1835
  • Hydraspis (Tetronyx) lessonii Fitzinger, 1835
  • Emys tetraonyx Temminck & Schlegel, 1835
  • Tetraonyx batagur Gray, 1844
  • Batagur (Batagur) baska Gray, 1856
  • Clemmys longicollis Strauch, 1862
  • Tetraonyx baska Gray, 1869
  • Batagur batagur Lindholm, 1929
  • Tetraonyx lessoni Bourret, 1941 (
    ex errore
    )
  • Batagur ranongensis Nutaphand, 1979
  • Batagur basca Anan'eva, 1988 (ex errore)
  • Batagur batagur batagur Joseph-Ouni, 2004
  • Batagur batagur ranongensis Joseph-Ouni, 2004

The northern river terrapin (Batagur baska) is a species of riverine turtle native to Southeast Asia. It has been classified as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List and considered extinct in much of its former range; as of 2018, the population in the wild was estimated at 100 mature individuals.[1]

Description

River terrapins of different age cohorts: (from top to bottom) hatchling of about a week old, one year old and two years old.

The northern river terrapin is one of Asia's largest freshwater and brackwater turtles, reaching a carapace length of up to 60 cm and a maximum weight of 18 kg.

plastron is large, strongly angulate laterally in the young, convex in the adult. The head is rather small, with a pointed and upwards-tending snout. The legs have band-like scales.[5]

The upper surface of the carapace and the soft parts are generally olive-brown, while the plastron is yellowish. Head and neck are brown with reddish bases. Males in breeding coloration have a black head and neck with a crimson or orange dorsal surface and red or orange forelegs. The colour of the pupils also changes during this period, to brown in females and yellow-white in males. During the breeding season, the color of the pupils of a female brown whereas the pupils in the males become yellowish-white.[5][6]

Distribution and habitat

The species is currently found in

Sunderbans), Cambodia, Myanmar, Indonesia and Malaysia. It is regionally extinct in Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. It is strongly aquatic but uses terrestrial nesting sites, frequenting the tidal areas of estuaries, large rivers, and mangrove forests.[1]

Ecology

The northern river terrapin is omnivorous, taking waterside plants and small animals such as clams.[7] The species prefers freshwater habitats and moves to brackish river mouths or estuaries in the breeding season (December–March), returning after laying their eggs. Individuals have been known to undertake long seasonal migrations of 50 to 60 miles to the sand banks where they were hatched. Females usually lay three clutches of 10–34 eggs each.[7][8]

Conservation

The species is considered

Calcutta from throughout India; among the Bengali Hindus, the river terrapin was considered the most delectable of all turtles.[9] It is still illegally exported from Indonesia and traded in large numbers in China. Loss of nesting beaches and pollution are also impacting the species.[1]

A hatchery and captive breeding project was established in

Sajnakhali Wildlife Sanctuary in the Sunderban Tiger Reserve in India with support from Turtle Survival Alliance.[9]

Taxonomy

Two subspecies are recognized: B. b. baska (Gray, 1831) and B. b. ranongensis (Nutaphand, 1979).[2]

See also

References

  1. ^
    doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2019-1.RLTS.T97358453A2788691.en
    . Retrieved 18 November 2021.
  2. ^ a b Rhodin, A. G.J.; van Dijk, P. P.; Inverson, J. B.; Shaffer, H. B.; Roger, B. (2011). "Turtles of the world, 2011 update: Annotated checklist of taxonomy, synonymy, distribution and conservation status" (PDF). Chelonian Research Monographs. 5. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2012-01-31.
  3. S2CID 87809001. Archived
    (PDF) from the original on 2011-05-01. Retrieved 29 May 2012.
  4. ^ "Northern River Terrapin (Batagur baska)". Turtle Survival Alliance (TSA).
  5. ^ a b Boulenger, G. A. (1890). The Fauna of British India, including Ceylon and Burma: Reptilia and Batrachia. Taylor & Francis.
  6. ^ "An endangered terrapin". The New Indian Express. Archived from the original on June 1, 2016.
  7. ^ a b "Batagur baska field guide". Asian Turtle Network.
  8. ^ "Batagur baska". Arkive.org. Archived from the original on 2015-09-05. Retrieved 2015-09-04.
  9. ^ a b Moll, E. O.; Kalyar Platt; Platt, S. G.; Praschag, P.; van Dijk, P. P. "Batagur baska : Northern river terrapin" (PDF). Iucn-tftsg.org. Retrieved 2022-03-24.

Further reading

  • Das, Indraneil (1989). "Batagur baska in Orissya". Hamadryad: The Journal of the Madras Crocodile Bank Trust. 14 (1): 2–3.
  • Gray, J.E. (1857). "Notice of some Indian tortoises (including the description of a new species presented to the British Museum by Professor Oldham)". Annals and Magazine of Natural History. 19 (2): 342–344.

External links

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Northern_river_terrapin&oldid=1208335611"