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Source-This post on Cantor’s Giant Softshell Turtle has been created based on the article “First-ever nesting report of incredibly rare giant softshell turtle” published in ” PHY.ORG” on 20 February 2024.
Why in the news?
Conservationists from the University of Portsmouth have recently uncovered the nesting site of the “secretive” Cantor’s giant softshell turtle on the banks of the Chandragiri River in Kerala.
About Cantor’s Giant Softshell Turtle
| Aspect | Details |
| Description | It is also known as the Asian giant softshell turtle and the frog-faced softshell turtle. |
| Habitat | They inhabit inland, slow-moving, freshwater rivers, lakes, streams, and estuaries |
| Distribution | It is found in eastern and southern India, Bangladesh, Burma, Thailand, Malaysia, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, eastern and southern China. |
| Characteristics | 1) Nature-It is a species known for its rarity and secretive nature. 2) It spends most of its life buried and motionless, with only their eyes and mouth protruding from the sand. 3) Diet-These turtles are primarily carnivores (piscivores) feeding on fish, crustaceans, and mollusks. |
| Conservation status | IUCN: Critically endangered CITES: Appendix II Wildlife Protection Act,1972 : Schedule I |
| Threats | 1) Habitat destruction. 2) They are heavily harvested by locals for meat. |
Read more about-Various types of turtles in India.
UPSC Syllabus-Environment (Species in news)
