ELONGATED TORTOISE

Source: IndianExpress

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Context

The elongated tortoise (Indotestudo elongata), was spotted in Haryana’s Damdama area during a research survey in the Aravallis.

Details

Description

• The tortoise is medium-sized with a yellowish brown or olive shell and distinct black blotches at the centre of each scute.
• The tortoise has on its nostril a pink ring, which appears in the breeding season.
• Mature individuals of both sexes develop a distinct pinkish colouration surrounding the nostrils and eyes during the season.
• Being reptiles, which cannot control their body temperature internally, they require a varied area in which they can access both sun and shade.

Size

Elongated tortoises typically reach about 30 cm in length and weigh around 3.5 kg as adults.

Distribution

• The tortoise is found in the Sal deciduous and hilly evergreen forests.
• This tropical species does not survive in cold climates.
• It is found in:
• India: Tripura, Jalpaiguri, East Bengal, Singhbhum in Jharkhand
• Nepal, Mizoram, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Western Malaysia, and Southern China.

Tortoise Village

• In Ban Kok, a village in Thailand, elongated tortoises coexist peacefully with villagers.
• They are locally known as "tao pek" and have been living in harmony with the residents for over 200 years.

Conservation

• The elongated tortoise is critically endangered under IUCN Red list and facing a severe population decline across its natural range.
• Appendix II under the CITES.
• Key threats:
  • • Mass huntingfor the food markets in China and East Asia.
    • Grinding the tortoise's shell is incorrectly believed to create an aphrodisiac.
    • Habitat destructionand illegal pet trade further threaten the species.

Read about tortoise and turtles: https://www.iasgyan.in/daily-current-affairs/tortoises-and-turtles

Read about Aravallis: https://www.iasgyan.in/daily-current-affairs/aravali-hills#:~:text=The%20Aravalli%20Range%20is%20a,1%2C722%20m%20(5%2C650%20ft).

Sources:

IndianExpress

PRACTICE QUESTION Q:  Consider the following: 1.Critically endangered as per IUCN Red list. 2.Found in temperate climates. 3.Females are wider and more rounded. Which of the above is/are characteristics of elongated tortoises? a) 1 and 2 only b) 2 and 3 only c) 1 and 3 only d) 1, 2 and 3   Answer: c Explanation: ●1st statement is correct: Elongated tortoises were assessed for the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s (IUCN) red list of threatened species in 2018 and are listed as critically endangered, under criteria A2cd.  ●2nd statement is incorrect: This tropical species does not survive in cold climates. Those exported to Europe and North America for the pet trade usually suffer, and soon die, if they are not given special indoor care.  ●3rd statement is correct:  Females are wider and more rounded, with longer, more curved posterior claws (believed to aid in nest building). Males have a larger tail and a concave plastron, while the female’s plastron is flat.