Hello, we are the most commonly found turtles in Indian subcontinent and you probably might have seen us at many places in India. We are Indian Flap-Shell Turtles.
Though we are commonly found, there are things that are really interesting to know. Have a look:
- Our name flap-shell is due to femoral flap shell on our lower side of the body that covers our limbs when we retract them.
- Did you know? We are a highly adaptive species. We can dig and live in burrows, using our body’s metabolism, we can survive severe droughts.
- Some of us are found to have survived up to 160 days of drought.
- Several people in rural India have us in their wells and ponds as we feed on various insects and snails keeping water fresh, though it is illegal to have us as pets.
- We are very adorable to look and are really liked by kids.
- We are not really hunted by many predators, but we are very much exploited by humans for our meat and shells.
- In India, our shells are believed to be a treatment for tuberculosis.
- Do you know? Our fossils date from 5.33 to 23.03 million years and are discovered in Nepal.
SOME QUICK FACTS:
Our Scientific Name: Lissemys Punctata.
Identification: Black to grey colored turtles with flat shell.
Our Habitat: stagnant fresh waters of rivers, marshes, lakes, and ponds etc.
Our Range: Most parts of Indian Subcontinent (map not available)
Our Food Habits: Omnivorous; feed on plant leaves, fruits, grasses, flowers, seeds, shrimp, snails, small fishes, and small frogs.
Our Breeding Period: July to November.
Number of eggs laid: 2-16 eggs.
Our Incubation period: more than 300 days.
Our Lifespan: more than 20 years.
IUCN red list status: Least Concern.
CITES: Appendix II (subspecies found in India are not listed)
Indian Wildlife Protection Act: Schedule I
SCIENTIFIC CLASSIFICATION:
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Testudines
Suborder: Cryptodira
Family: trionychidae
Genus: Lissemys
Species: L.punctata
COMPLETE DETAILS FOR ANIMAL ENTHUSIASTS:
Indian Flap Shell Turtles have flaps located on our lower side of the body (Plastron) which is why we are called Flap-Shelled turtles.
These skin flaps are unique to us and distinguish us from other species of freshwater turtles. Let us tell you about our species
We are scientifically called as Lissemys Punctata.
HOW WE LOOK:
The upper part of our bodies is mostly shell which is called carapace and the lower part of our bodies is called plastron which is like a flap (thin or flat surface).
Our carapace is black to grey in color with the plastron being duller in color than caraspace. Our head and limbs come out and retract inside the carapace and the flaps of skin cover our limbs.
Our carapace has a length ranging 24cm to 37cm and we can weigh up to 4 kg. We have a long neck. Our claws are large and heavy with a very short tail in both male and female. Our shell is not hard but soft, unlike many other turtles and tortoises.
WE ARE FOUND IN:
Although we are good swimmers we prefer living in shallow and quiet places like stagnant fresh waters of rivers, marshes, lakes, and ponds etc where there is sand or mud as we tend to dig burrows.
You can find us in many ponds, lakes, and rivers of India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bangladesh, and Burma. We are also introduced to Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
WHAT WE EAT:
We are Omnivorous and we eat plant leaves, fruits, grasses, flowers, seeds, shrimp, snails, small fishes, and small frogs.
OUR REPRODUCTION:
Our breeding season is from July to November. We have a unique behaviour of courtship and mating different from other turtles.
We become sexually active at the age of 2 or 3. The female lays eggs from 2 to 16 in number 2-3 times a year. Nesting time depends on location as well as habitat. In general, swampy areas with a good amount of soil and adequate exposure of sunlight are used as nesting sites.
The eggs laid here are normally buried. The incubation period is more than 300 days. The young are taken care of and fed by both the parents for a few weeks and the young leave later.
We live for more than 20 years.
MORE ABOUT US:
Our flap-skin plastron helps us retreat our entire limbs.
We can even live in drought conditions and some of us have survived up to 160 days.
We are very good swimmers as well as good burrow diggers.
OUR CONSERVATION:
We are abundantly found in our habitats and are considered “Least Concern” in IUCN red list.
Yet, hundreds of us who live in desert ponds of Rajasthan die due to dry summers and also in many South Asian places, our meat and eggs are commonly used as source of food resulting in the exploitation of our species for profit.
We are also listed in CITES Appendix II, however, the subspecies found in India is not listed. We are protected under the Indian Wildlife Protection Act, 1972 Schedule I.
