Red-Crowned Roofed Turtle (Batagur kachuga)

News: The Red-crowned roofed turtle population is declining due to shrinking habitat in the Ganga basin, highlighting the urgent need for conservation efforts to protect the species.

About Red-Crowned Roofed Turtle (Batagur kachuga)

• The Red-crowned roofed turtle (Batagur kachuga) is a freshwater turtle native to South Asia.
• Family: It belongs to the Geoemydidae family.
• It is one of the three large freshwater species in the genus Batagur found in India.
• Habitat: It prefers flowing water bordered by high sandbanks.
  • Rocky outcrops and sand edges serve as basking sites for thermo-regulation.
• Distribution: It is endemic to India, Bangladesh and Nepal. It is also found in the Brahmaputra river region.
  • Historically, it was widely found across the Ganga river basin. 
  • Currently in India, the National Chambal River Gharial Sanctuary is the only area with substantial population of it.
• Physical features
  • Size: Red-crowned roofed turtle’s shell can be as long as 56 cm and can we eight upto 25 kg. 
  • Males are usually about half the size of females.
  • Males also show six distinctive bright red stripes on the top of the head.
  • At the end of the rainy season, males develop bright courtship coloration of red, yellow, white, and blue on the head and neck.
  • Its head has an obtuse and slightly prominent snout. 
  • The carapace of the species is strongly keeled and the plastron is angulated laterally in the young ones.
• Behaviour: The turtle is diurnal and spends most of its time in water. It is aquatic, natatorial and oviparous.
• Diet: It feeds entirely on aquatic plants and fruits.
• Threats
  • Poaching for meat and shells
  • Accidental drowning in fishing gear
  • Water pollution
  • Hydroelectric projects
  • Habitat destruction from sand mining
  • Egg predation
• Conservation Status:
  • IUCN : Critically Endangered
  • Wild Life (Protection) Act of 1972: Schedule I
  • CITES : Appendix II