5 Rare Species Of Turtle Found In India

Turtles are fresh water and sea dwelling species and one of the oldest groups of reptiles in the world. Some of the species are comes under the endangered species of turtles in India, like Assam roofed turtle and Indian star tortoise are one of the most trafficked animals in the world and part of the exotic pet trade.

* Indian Flapshell Turtle (Lissemys punctata)

Indian Flapshell turtles are most commonly found in lakes and rivers of India. The omnivorous freshwater turtles also found in the desert ponds of Rajasthan and introduced to the Andaman Islands.

* Indian Roofed Turtle (Pangshura tecta)

Indian roofed turtle found in the major rivers of India and one of the most common pet in the Indian Subcontinent. They also occurs in brackish coastal waters, man-made water tanks,canals and ponds.

* Assam Roofed Turtle (Pangshura sylhetensis)

Assam roofed turtle is a rare species of the turtle and listed as endangered in India, known only from a few individuals found in the Brahmaputra drainage in Assam.

* Indian Softshell Turtle (Nilssonia gangetica)

Indian softshell turtle or Ganges softshell turtle found in the rivers of the Ganges, Indus and Mahanadi. The species considered sacred and also found in the temple ponds of Orissa.

* Red Crowned Roofed Turtle (Batagur kachuga)

Red-crowned roofed turtle is a freshwater species of turtle and listed as critically endangered, only few hundred remain in the wild. The National Chambal Sanctuary is the India’s only protected riverine habitat for red crowned roofed turtle.