There are 8 species of Softshell Turtles found in India, the state-wise details are as follows,
Assam - Black Softshell Turtle
North India - Indian Peacock Softshell Turtle, Indian Softshell Turtle
South India - Asian Giant Softshell Turtle
East India - Asian Giant Softshell Turtle, Indian Peacock Softshell Turtle, Indian Softshell Turtle
West India - Indian Peacock Softshell Turtle, Indian Softshell Turtle
North East India - Asiatic Softshell Turtle
Indian Subcontinent - Indian Flapshell Turtle, Indian Narrow Headed Softshell Turtle
Peninsular India - Leith’s Softshell Turtle
00:00 Intro
8 species of softshell turtles are found in India
00:15 Asian Giant Softshell Turtle
Are an ambush predator and an endangered species, also known as Cantor's giant softshell turtle or the frog-faced softshell turtle. They have a broad head and small eyes close to tip of their snout. Carrapace is smooth and olive-colored. They are among the largest extant freshwater turtles, and can grow up to 1.8 metres (5.9 ft) in length. They spend 95% of their life buried and motionless, with only their eyes and mouth protruding from the sand, and surface only twice a day to take breaths.
00:58 Asiatic Softshell Turtle
Also known as black-rayed softshell turtle are a vulnerable species. Adults have a shell that is soft and leathery in texture, heads display typical yellow dots. Carrapace is oval; in adults color ranges from a soft olive to green-brown. Yellow dots, and the occasional black spots, can be found on the shell, but these too fade as they get older. Plastron is sexually dimorphic, appearing white in males and gray in females.
01:53 Black Softshell Turtle
Are extinct in the wild, they are also known as Bostami turtle. Skin is black or dark brown, with white to yellow spots across head and ligaments. They can live upto 150 years, however, they have a high mortality rate during early stages of their life. They have a semi-flexible leathery shell, with a distinct nose and face. A tube like structure protrudes from their nose resembling and functioning similar to a snorkel.
02:50 Indian Flapshell Turtle
Their carapace is moderately arched and broadly oval in adults, but circular in juveniles. They have an olive-green carapace and soft body parts, with yellow blotches on carapace, head and neck. These blotches tend to disappear with age. They are named "flap-shell" because of femoral flaps on their cartilaginous plastron. These flaps cover the limbs when they retract into the shell.
03:47 Indian Narrow Headed Softshell Turtle
Also known as small-headed softshell turtle are an endangered species. Their carapace is overall olive to deep olive-green and have a very complex carapacial pattern. They mostly remain buried in sand, patiently waits for their prey and suddenly extends their head at high velocity to grab their prey. They have presence of distinct neck stripes forming a bell-like pattern.
04:32 Indian Peacock Softshell Turtle
They have a large head and a downturned snout. They have a low and oval olive green carapace, sometimes with a yellow rim. Head and limbs are olive green; forehead has dark reticulations and large yellow or orange patches, especially behind the eyes and across the snout. Juveniles have striking, orange ringed dark-centered ocelli. Males possess relatively longer and thicker tails than females.
05:31 Indian Softshell Turtle
Also known as Ganges softshell turtle are a vulnerable species. They are identified by structure of their carapace and plastron. Lower parts are yellowish and length of dorsal disk is 2 feet. They are olive above with fine black lines, but without ocelli. There are black longitudinal streaks between their eyes and nape, intersected by 2 or 3 inverted-V shaped black streaks.
06:28 Leith’s Softshell Turtle
Carapace is gray-brown or grayish-olive with yellow vermiculations, most prominent in juveniles, which possess 4-6 dark-centered, light bordered eye-like spots. Plastron is cream-colored. Head is greenish, sometimes with a black streak that extends from eye to neck. 2 or 3 pairs of dark lines extend toward side of head and another extends backwards from the eye. Corner of their mouth has a yellow or reddish-orange spot.
07:14 Outro
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Fauna of India: • Video
Information Sources: Internet
Documentation: Amrita L Kutuva and Hansen Thambi Prem
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