Biodiversity Gallery

Chitra indica (Gray, 1831): The narrow-headed softshell turtle is an extremely large (carapace length to 110 cm), highly aquatic species. The dorsum carries a striking pattern of deep yellow and black closely resembling the colour pattern of tiger, because of which many locals describe it as “Baghia Kacho” (tiger turtle) in Assam. This species is observed in the Brahmaputra River and its tributaries in Assam and has a very good population size in the Ganges River system (Singh and Baruah, 2010). It is highly aggressive in disposition and prefers steep riverbanks for basking. A large clutch of 65-193 eggs is laid during June - August near the sandy bank. Eggs are sometimes predated by people, dogs, and jackals. Choudhury (1990) reported it from the Lohit River in upper Brahmaputra and Datta (1997) from Dhubri district in lower Assam. Distribution: Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan IUCN Red List status (2021): Endangered (A1cd +2cd)