Content-04 Turtle, Tortoise and Terrapins
Unit-03 Biodiversity
Chapter-03 Conservation of Bio diversity
Topic-04 Efforts to protect the animals in India
Content-04 Turtle, tortoise and Terrapins
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Freshwater turtles
- A first-of-its-kind rehabilitation centre for freshwater turtles will be inaugurated in Bihar’s Bhagalpur forest division in January 2020.
- The rehab centre, spread over half a hectare, will be able to shelter 500 turtles at a time.
- According to a recent study conducted by Traffic India, around 11,000 turtles are being smuggled in India every year.
- According to environmentalists, the turtles play a significant role in the river by scavenging dead organic materials and diseased fish, controlling fish population as predators and controlling aquatic plants and weeds.
- They are also described as indicators of healthy aquatic ecosystems.
- However, these species are now under severe threats due to habitat fragmentation and loss through dams and barrages, pollution, illegal poaching, accidental drowning through fishing nets and threats to their nesting habitats.
- : The turtles have come under serious threat primarily for two reasons — food and the flourishing pet trade.
- Turtles are being frequently targeted for meat due to the prevailing belief that it gives an energy boost and keeps various diseases away.
- Usually, soft-shell turtles are victims of this belief. On the other hand, hard-shell turtles, especially spotted ones, are being poached for the pet trade.
- Such turtles are in high demand in south-east Asia, China and Japan.
- India harbours 24 species of freshwater turtles and 4 species of tortoises, with areas in Northeast and North India considered in the top three Turtle Biodiversity Hotspots of the world.
- There are only five species of sea turtles are known to inhabit Indian coastal waters and islands.
- These are the
- Olive Ridley (Lepidochelys olivacea),
- Green (Chelonia mydas),
- Hawksbill Bhitarkanika is a second largest mangrove region in Indian subcontinent after Sunderbans region located in Odisha.
- It is also known for nesting site for Olive Ridley sea turtles.
IMPRESSED TORTOISE
Why in News
- Wildlife experts have discovered the Impressed Tortoise in Arunachal Pradesh.
- This species of tortoise have never been previously sighted in India.
About
- Scientific Name of Impressed Tortoise is Manouria Impressa.
- it occurs in mountainous forest areas in Southeast Asia in Burma, southern China, Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia, Malaysia and now has been found in India.
- The species has a golden brown shell and skin.
- Adults are much smaller than their relatives the Asian forest tortoise (Manouria emys).
- listed as Vulnerable in the IUCN Red List.
- A team of herpetologists from the Forest Department and two NGOs found the impressed Tortoise in Yazali area of the Lower Subansiri district in Arunachal Pradesh.
- This is the first record of the Impressed tortoise in India, taking the count to five and the non-marine chelonian count to 29.
- Chelonian is an order of reptile that includes turtles, terrapins and tortoises.
Asian Forest Tortoise
- There are only two species of tortoises under the Manouria genus.
- India was known to be the home of only the Asian Forest Tortoise (Manouria emys) until the discovery of the Impressed Tortoise.
- The Asian Forest Tortoise, the largest in mainland Asia, is found only in the northeast, as are 20 of the other 28 species of chelonians.
Olive Ridley Turtles
Why in News
- On November 1st, the Odisha forest department has put a ban on fishing in Gahiramatha Marine Sanctuary.
- The ban will be in place till May 31, 2020.
About
- The Olive Ridley turtles are the smallest and most abundant of all sea turtles in the world.
- They inhabit in the warm waters of the Pacific, Atlantic and Indian oceans.
- It is listed as Vulnerable in the IUCN Red List.
- Further, it has been listed on Schedule – 1 of the Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.
- The Indian Coast Guard also undertakes “Operation Olivia” every year.
- It is an Olive Ridley Turtle protection program.
- The Olive Ridley turtles are best known for their unique mass nesting called Arribada.
- During Arribada, a large number of female turtles come together on the same beach to lay eggs.
- An important breeding area for olive Ridleys in the Indian Ocean along the Bay of Bengal is Odisha.
- They are carnivores and feed mainly on jellyfish, shrimp, snails, crabs, molluscs and a variety of fish and their eggs.
- These turtles spend their entire lives in the ocean and migrate thousands of kilometres between feeding and mating grounds in the course of a year.
- Interestingly, females return to the very same beach from where they first hatched, to lay their eggs.
- The coast of Orissa in India is the largest mass nesting site for the Olive-ridley, followed by the coasts of Mexico and Costa Rica.
- There are three major mass nesting areas:
- Gahirmatha rookery (Gahiramatha Marine Sanctuary) close to the mouth of Brahmani-Baitarani Rivers,
- Devi river mouth and
- Rushikulya river mouth
About Gahiramatha Marine Sanctuary
- Gahiramatha is located in Odisha’s Kendrapada district.
- It was declared a marine sanctuary in 1997.
- It is known as the world’s largest Olive Ridley rookery
Cane Turtle:
In News
- While turtles are more or less dependent on water, tortoises are completely terrestrial.
- Cane Turtle is an anomaly.
- It scuttles through the forest and adopts a land-based lifestyle among leaves.
- Although the shape of its legs and webbed feet are reminiscent of its aquatic relatives, it doesn’t like water and stays clear of streams.
- When scared, it dives under dry leaves as if it were plunging into a pond or brook.
They are endemic to the evergreen and semi-evergreen forests of the Western Ghats of Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu.- They are omnivorous and feed on fruits, leaves, arthropods, and molluscs.
- Males have a darker pink or scarlet colouring compared to females, besides also being smaller in size.
- The 10-cm-long turtle blended in colour and shape with the dry leaves that clothed the forest floor.
- Rainforests don’t undergo a distinct winter season, but the turtle puts its life on hold for six months after the Northeast monsoon recedes.
- Its IUCN Status is Endangered.
- India Biodiversity Portal had initiated a ‘Turtle Spotting Week’as part of a unique exercise to document the creatures across India.
- Among the turtles sighted in Tamil Nadu is the Cochin Forest Cane Turtle in the Anamalai Tiger Reserve, an extremely rare species which is endemic to India.
Leith’s Softshell Turtle
- The rare Leith’s Softshell Turtle was also observed at Melagiri.
The Cochin forest cane turtle is listed as Endangered by the IUCN and is listed in CITES Appendix II.
Hawksbill Turtle
- The species is migratory in nature and nesting occurs in about 70 countries across the world.
- Maturation is slow and is estimated between 25 — 40 years.
- Habitat: Nesting occurs on insular, sandy beaches.
- Distribution: In India they are found in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, the coast of Tamil Nadu and Orissa.
Threats: Turtle shell trade, egg collection, slaugh ter for meat, oil pollution and destruction of nesting and foraging habitats.
Four-toed River Terrapin or River Terrapin (Batagur baska)
- Habitat: Freshwater rivers and lakes.
- Distribution: Bangladesh, Cambodia, India, Indo nesia and Malaysia.
- Threats: Use of flesh for medicinal purposes, de mand for eggs, which are considered a delicacy
Red-crowned Roofed Turtle or the Bengal Roof Turtle (Batagur kachuga)
Habitat: Deep, flowing rivers but with terrestrial nest sites.- Distribution: Found in India, Bangladesh and Nepal.
- In India it resides basically in the watershed of the Ganga.
- Threats: Water development projects, water pollution, human disturbance and poaching for the illegal wildlife market.
Leatherbadc Turtle
- Moved from Critically Endangered to Vulner able.
- It is the largest of the living sea turtles, weighing as much as 900 kg. •
Jellyfish is their primary food.- Habitat: Tropical and subtropical oceans.
- Distribution: Found in tropical and temperate waters of the Atlantic, Pacific, and into Indian Oceans.
- Threats: High sea fishing operations, harvesting of eggs, destruction of nests by wild predators and domesticated species such as cats, dogs and pigs.
- Artificial lighting disorients hatchlings and adults and causes them to migrate inland rather than towards the sea. • Threats to habitat include construction, mining and plantation of exotics.
SEA TURTLE PROJECT
- A significant proportion of world’s Olive Ridley Turtle population migrates every winter to Indian coastal waters for nesting mainly at eastern coast.
Implementation by MoEF&CC + UNDP + WII (Min. of Environment, Forest and Climate change, United Nations Development Programme, Wildlife Institute of India)- Conservation of olive ridley turtles and other endangered marine turtles.
- Implemented in 10 coastal states of the country with special emphasis in State of Orissa
- Preparation of inventory map of breeding sites of Sea Turtles
- Identification of nesting and breeding habitats along the shore line
- Migratory routes taken by Sea Turtles
- Development of guidelines to safeguard and minimize turtle mortality,
- Development of national and international cooperative and collaborative action for Sea Turtle Conservation
- Developing guideline plans for tourism in sea turtle areas and developing infrastructure and human resources for Sea Turtle Conservation.
- One of the important achievements – demonstration of use of Satellite Telemetry to locate the migratory route of Olive Ridley Turtles in the sea and sensitizing the fishermen and State Government for the use of Turtle Exclusion Device (TED) infishing trawlers to check turtle mortality in fishing net.
OPERATION SAVE KURMA
- Considering the commercial exploitation of the turtles and tortoises as well as the extent of involvement of illegal wildlife traders in the illegal trade of live specimens Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB) envisaged a species specific operation code named ―OPERATION SAVE KURMA‖ to focus specifically on the major states involved in the poaching, transportation and illegal trade of live turtles and tortoises.
- Operation Save Kurma: It was conducted to combat the proliferating illegal trade in live turtles and its parts from the country to destinations abroad.
- During the operation, approximately 16,000 live turtles/tortoises were seized and released back into the wild.
Critically Endangered Reptiles (Update)
- Gharial (Gavialis gangeticus)
- Hawksbill Turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata)
- Leatherback Turtle (Dermochelys coriacea)
- Four-toed River Terrapin or River Terrapin (Batagur baska)
- Red-crowned Roofed Turtle or the Bengal Roof Turtle (Batagur kachuga)
Question -Answers
50. They inhabit warm waters of the Pacific, Atlantic and Indian oceans and are best known for their unique mass nesting called Arribada. Though found in abundance, their numbers have been declining over the past few years, and the species is recognized as Vulnerable by the IUCN Red List. The coast of Orissa in India is the largest mass nesting site for them. The above passage describes which of the following species?
(a) Olive Ridley Turtle (b) Pangolin (©) Torpedo Barb (d) Slender Loris
44 With reference to freshwater turtles, consider the following statements:
1. They play a significant role in rivers by scavenging dead organic materials and diseased fish.
2. In India, no living species of freshwater turtles are found.
3. They are illegally smuggled and poached in India for food and pet trade.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
(a) 1 only (b) 1 and 3 only (c) 2 and 3 only (d) 1, 2 and 3
- The core area of Bhitarkanika Wildlife Sanctuary was declared Bhitarkanika National Park. Bhitarkanika Wildlife Sanctuary includes Gahirmatha Marine Wildlife Sanctuary.
- Bhitarkanika Mangroves, a part of Bhitarkanika Wildlife Sanctuary was designated a Ramsar Wetland of International Importance in 2002. It is famous for its saltwater crocodiles and Olive ridley sea turtle.
Q. Consider the following fauna of India: [2013 – I]
1) Gharial 2) Leatherback turtle 3) Swamp deer
Which of the above is/are endangered?
a) 1 and 2 only b) 3 only c) 1, 2 and 3 d) None
Gharial are ‘Critically Endangered’. Swamp deer (barasingha) and Leatherback turtle are ‘Vulner able’.
Answer: d) none (OLD)
The sea coast of which one of the following states has become famous as a nesting place for the giant Olive Ridley turtles from South America? [2002]
(a) Goa (b) Gujarat (c) Orissa (d) Tamil Nadu
(c) The sea coast of Orissa is famous as a nesting place for giant olive Ridley turtles from South America.
Consider the following statements with reference to the Olive ridley turtles:
1. They are the most abundant of all sea turtles found in the world.
2. They are mostly herbivores.
3. The coast of Orissa is the world’s largest mass nesting site for the Olive-ridley.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
(a) 1 and 2 only (b) 3 only (C) 1 and 3 only (d) 1, 2 and 3
18 Consider the following statements regarding Olive Ridley Turtles
1. It is critically endangered species
2. It inhabits warm waters of the Pacific, Atlantic and Indian oceans.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
1 only A. 2 only B. Both 1 and 2 C. Neither 1 nor 2 D.
Correct Answer : B
- The Olive ridley turtles are the smallest and most abundant of all sea turtles found in the world.
- It inhabits warm waters of the Pacific, Atlantic and Indian oceans. Hence Statement 2 is correct.
- Conservation Status: The Olive ridley turtle is recognized as Vulnerable by the IUCN Red list. Hence Statement 1 is incorrect.
- International trade in these turtles and their products is banned under CITES Appendix I.
Consider the following statements regarding Cochin Forest Cane Turtle.
1. Cochin Forest Cane Turtle is an extremely rare species which is endemic to India.
2. Recently, Cochin Forest Cane Turtle was spotted in the Anamalai Tiger Reserve.
3. It is listed as Endangered by the IUCN and is listed in CITES Appendix II.
Which of the above statements is/are correct?
a) 1, 2 b) 1,3 c) 2,3 d) 1,2,3
50 Consider the following statements regarding
1. Leatherback Sea Turtle It is the largest of all living turtles.
2. The geographical distribution is limited to warm tropical waters.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
1 only A. 2 only B. Both 1 and 2 C. Neither 1 nor 2 D.
Correct Answer : A
- The Leatherback Sea Turtle, sometimes called the lute turtle, is the largest of all living turtles.
- The leatherback turtle is a species with a cosmopolitan global range, reaching as far north as Alaska and Norway and as far south as Cape Agulhas in Africa and the southernmost tip of New Zealand.
- The leatherback is found in all tropical and subtropical oceans, and its range extends well into the Arctic Circle.
- Leatherback turtles can be found primarily in the open ocean.
- Leatherbacks feed on jellyfish prey throughout the day, preferring deeper water in the daytime and shallower water at night.
68 Operation Save Kurma was initiated to protect
Turtles A. Vultures B. Gharial C. Ganga Dolphins D.
- Correct Answer : A
- WCCB had convened a species-specific operation on turtles, code named OPERATION SAVE KURMA. A total of 15, 739 live turtles were recovered from 45 suspects, having inter-state linkages.
- The operation brought about an awareness among the enforcement agencies to focus on the existing trade routes and major trade hubs in the country, which will be specifically focused in future.
10 Consider the following statements regarding Green Sea Turtle
1. Green turtles are widely distributed in tropical and subtropical waters
2. They are included in the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) appendix 1.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
1 only A. 2 only B. Both 1 and 2 C. Neither 1 nor 2 D.
Correct Answer : C
- Both the statements are correct.
- Green turtles are named after the greenish colour of their cartilage and the fat deposits around their internal organs.
- They are black-brown or greenish yellow in colour.
- Green turtles are widely distributed in tropical and subtropical waters. Hence, statement 1 is correct.
- It is listed as endangered species in the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) red list.
- Green turtles are also included in the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) appendix 1. Hence, statement 2 is correct.
20 Consider the following statements regarding Indian Roofed Turtle
1. It is found in India, Bangladesh, Nepal and Pakistan.
2. In India, it is found in Ganges, Brahmaputra and Indus River drainages.
3. It is listed on Appendix I of CITES.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
2 only A. 1 and 3 only B. 1 only C. 1, 2 and 3 D.
Correct Answer : D
- All the statements given above are correct.
- The Indian roofed turtle is a species of turtle in the family Geoemydidae. It can be distinguished by the distinct “roof” at the topmost part of the shell.
- It is found in the major rivers of South Asia. It is found in India, Bangladesh, Nepal and Pakistan. Hence, statement 1 is correct.
- In India, it is found in Ganges, Brahmaputra and Indus River drainages.
- The protected areas in Jalpaiguri, West Bengal is known for protecting this species. Hence, statement 2 is correct.
- It is listed on Appendix I of CITES and as Least Concern in the IUCN list. Hence, statement is 3 correct.
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