BLACK SOFTSHELL TURTLE

June 17, 2019

The Ugratara Temple, in Guwahati, Assam, organised a special darshan of 34 hatchlings of the rare black softshell turtle as these hatchlings will be reintroduced into the wild.

About: 

  • Scientific Name: Nilssonia nigricans.

  • Common name: The black softshell turtle or Bostami turtle Or Mazari.

  • What is it? It is a species of freshwater turtle.

  • Softshell: These turtles are called "softshell" because their shell is light and flexible. This allows them to move more easily in open water, or in muddy lake bottoms. Having a soft shell also allows them to move much faster on land than most turtles.

  • IUCN conservation status: Extinct in the wild.

  • Distribution: It is found only in the ponds of some temples in Assam and Bangladesh (Chittagong and Sylhet).

Source : The Hindu