29th issue
Contributed By:-
Dr. Chittaranjan Baruah
Assistant Professor (Stage III), Postgraduate Department of Zoology,
Darrang College, Tezpur – 784001, Assam, India
Cuora mouhotii
It is locally known as Siria Jap Dura in Assam. The keeled box turtle is an endemic Asian turtle. The carapace is elongated and does not exceed 18 cm. It is distributed throughout northeast India. The species inhabits in evergreen, semi-evergreen and subtropical broadleaf forests. It lays from one to nine elongated eggs every clutch, with egg measurements of around 41 x 26 mm. The incubation time ranges from 82 and 120 days. It is an omnivore. Subspecies: Mouhot's Keeled Box Turtle (C. mouhotii mouhotii) (synonym: Pyxidea mouhotii mouhotii) and Obst's Keeled Box Turtle (C. mouhotii obsti) are the two species now recognised.