The Burmese roofed turtle (''Batagur trivittata'') is one of six

turtle Turtles are reptiles of the order (biology), order Testudines, characterized by a special turtle shell, shell developed mainly from their ribs. Modern turtles are divided into two major groups, the Pleurodira (side necked turtles) and Crypt ...

species A species () is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. It is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), ...

in the genus ''

Batagur ''Batagur'' is a genus of large turtles from South Asia, South and Southeast Asia. All members of the genus are seriously Threatened species, threatened. With a 2007 merger with members from two other genera,Praschag, Peter; Hundsdörfer, Anna K ...

'' of the family

Geoemydidae The Geoemydidae (formerly known as Bataguridae) are one of the largest and most diverse families in the order Testudines (turtles), with about 70 species A species () is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two in ...

. It is a freshwater turtle

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found only in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also foun ...

to the rivers of

Myanmar Myanmar, officially the Republic of the Union of Myanmar; and also referred to as Burma (the official English name until 1989), is a country in northwest Southeast Asia. It is the largest country by area in Mainland Southeast Asia and has ...

.Once a common and abundant in its habitat, the species experienced a rapid decline and was believed to be extinct until two subpopulations were rediscovered in 2001 in the

Chindwin The Chindwin River (), also known as the Ningthi River (), is a river in Myanmar and is the largest tributary of the Irrawaddy River. Sources The Chindwin originates in the broad Hukawng Valley of Kachin State of Burma, roughly , where the Tanai ...

and Dokhtawady rivers. By 2018, fewer than 10 mature individuals were documented. The Burmese roofed turtle is among the world's most endangered turtle species. In 2007, an illegally traded Burmese roofed turtle was identified at Qingping market in

Guangzhou Guangzhou, Chinese postal romanization, previously romanized as Canton or Kwangchow, is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Guangdong Provinces of China, province in South China, southern China. Located on the Pearl River about nor ...

, China, highlighting the ongoing threats of wildlife trafficking.

Morphology

Adult male and female Burmese roofed turtles can be distinguished by their morphology. Adult males exhibit an olive-green

carapace A carapace is a dorsal (upper) section of the exoskeleton or shell in a number of animal groups, including arthropods, such as crustaceans and arachnids, as well as vertebrates, such as turtles and tortoises. In turtles and tortoises, the unde ...

with a black stripe extending from the top of the head down the neck and three additional black stripes running along the carapace. They also have a more prominently elongated tail and an ivory-white plastron (underbelly). The male's typically green head transforms to a bright chartreuse-yellow with bold black markings during the breeding season. Female Burmese roofed turtles grow significantly larger than males. Adult females have a more uniform coloration, with the head, carapace, and plastron ranging from dark brown to grayish-black.

Diet

''B. trivittata'' is a herbivorous turtle; it feeds primarily on the aquatic and semi-aquatic vegetation found in its habitat. In captivity, ''B. trivitatta'' is fed water spinach, fish food pellets,

figs The fig is the edible fruit of ''Ficus carica'', a species of tree or shrub in the flowering plant family Moraceae, native to the Mediterranean region, together with western and southern Asia. It has been cultivated since ancient times and i ...

when in season, and other supplemental foods as needed.

Reproduction

A female Burmese roofed turtle in captivity is estimated to reproduce for the first time at a maximum age of 14 years. A wild female is likely to reach sexual maturity at around 20 years of age. The average number of eggs laid per clutch is between 20 and 25. These turtles remain in a deep pool, locally known as an 'Aike,' throughout the nesting season.

Threats

Because ''B. trivittata'' is an

species, it faces many threats to its survival. The current main threats to the Burmese roofed turtles include habitat degradation, predation, excessive egg collection,

poaching Poaching is the illegal hunting or capturing of wild animals, usually associated with land use rights. Poaching was once performed by impoverished peasants for subsistence purposes and to supplement meager diets. It was set against the huntin ...

of mature adults and juveniles for consumption and trade demands, pollution, fishing, and climate change through flooding and extreme weather.

Conservation

The Burmese roofed turtle is nationally protected and listed in

CITES Appendix II CITES (shorter acronym for the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, also known as the Washington Convention) is a multilateral treaty to protect endangered plants and animals from the threats of inte ...

. The captive population in five zoos comprised about 1,000 individuals as of 2018. Several hundred Burmese roofed turtles are kept in the

Yadanabon Zoological Gardens The Yadanabon Zoological Gardens ( ) is a zoo in Mandalay, Myanmar. The zoo has nearly 300 animals, including tigers, leopards and elephants, and plays a major part in the conservation program for the highly threatened Burmese roofed turtle (''B ...

Mandalay Mandalay is the second-largest city in Myanmar, after Yangon. It is located on the east bank of the Irrawaddy River, 631 km (392 mi) north of Yangon. In 2014, the city had a population of 1,225,553. Mandalay was founded in 1857 by Ki ...

and a turtle conservation center in Lawkananda Park,

Bagan Bagan ( ; ; formerly Pagan) is an ancient city and a UNESCO World Heritage Site in the Mandalay Region of Myanmar. From the 9th to 13th centuries, the city was the capital of the Pagan Kingdom, the first kingdom that unified the regions that w ...

. Some have been released to the wild. Following the rediscovery of the species, researchers captured several Burmese roofed turtles to establish a conservation breeding program in captivity. Health screenings of captive Burmese roofed turtles were conducted in 2014 and 2018 to prevent the transmission of pathogens to wild populations upon release.These health screenings revealed no signs of disease or physical illness, confirming that the turtles were in excellent health.

Reintroductions

Because ''B. trivittata'' is a dispersive species, reintroduction efforts are more difficult since they will start to migrate downstream for miles. Some turtles have been released into the wild without any special assistance, but have been difficult to monitor. Soft release efforts have been implemented to assist ''B. trivittata'' in acclimating to the sandbank where they are released, preventing them from traveling long distances and making monitoring efforts easier. Two groups of 30 genetically diverse ''B. trivittata'' individuals were reintroduced into the wild at two separate locations along the Chindwin River.

References

External links

Batagur Reptiles of Myanmar Endemic fauna of Myanmar Reptiles described in 1835 Taxa named by André Marie Constant Duméril Taxonomy articles created by Polbot {{turtle-stub