Context
The rare Himalayan Tricarinate Hill Turtle was recently spotted in the Udanti Sitanadi Tiger Reserve of Chhattisgarh, marking an unusual record of this Himalayan species in central India.
About Himalayan Tricarinate Hill Turtle
- The Himalayan Tricarinate Hill Turtle (Melanochelys tricarinata) is a small terrestrial turtle belonging to the family Geoemydidae.
- It is named after the three distinct longitudinal keels on its highly domed shell.
- The species is distributed across the sub-Himalayan region covering northeastern India, southern Nepal, southern Bhutan and northern Bangladesh.
- It primarily inhabits temperate forests, Himalayan foothills and adjoining grassland ecosystems.
- The turtle possesses a small olive-to-dark coloured head with a narrow snout and scaly limbs adapted for terrestrial movement.
- It is classified as ‘Endangered’ under the IUCN Red List.
