Saving a Giant Softshell Turtle

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This article talks about the Cantor’s Giant Softshell Turtle.

What is Cantor’s Giant Softshell Turtle?

Source: Livemint

Cantor’s giant softshell turtle (Pelochelys cantorii) also known commonly as the Asian giant softshell turtle and the frog-faced softshell turtle is a species of freshwater turtle in the family Trionychidae.

Origin of Name: The turtle gets its name from Theodore Cantor, a Danish zoologist who worked for the British East India Company in the mid-19th century, collecting and describing many reptiles.

Geographical Habitat: Its extent ranges from Malaysia to India. Its presence in India has been recorded only a dozen times in 20 years, with sightings being reported anecdotally from Odisha, Tamil Nadu, and West Bengal.

IUCN Status: Critically Endangered

Characteristics: The turtle can grow up to a meter in length and weigh 100 kg. 

It is one of the few freshwater species which is at home in saline waters too.

The turtle inhabits inland rivers and is thought to keep to deep depths. It spends most of its time in the water.

The turtle spends 95% of its life buried and motionless, with only its eyes and mouth protruding from the sand.

The turtle nests between December-February.

Diet: It is an ambush predator and primarily carnivorous, feeding on crustaceans, mollusks, and fish (although some aquatic plants may also be eaten).

It is also known to scavenge dead fish, becoming a natural agent in cleaning up rivers.

Source: The post is based on the article “Saving a Giant Softshell Turtle” published in Livemint on 4th June 2022.