Rafetus swinhoei

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Rafetus swinhoei
Conservation status
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Sauropsida
Order: Testudines
Suborder: Chelonia
Family: Trionychidae
Genus: Rafetus
Species: R. swinhoei
Binomial name
Rafetus swinhoei
(Gray, 1873)

Rafetus swinhoei, commonly known as the Shanghai soft-shell turtle or Yangtze giant soft-shell turtle (Chinese: 斑鳖; Pinyin:Bān Bīe), is a species of soft-shell turtle. It may be the largest fresh water turtle in the world. It is listed as critically endangered in the IUCN Red List 2006, and is one of the rarest turtles in the world. Of the five known specimens it has been speculated that one may belong to a separate species named Rafetus leloii.

Contents

[edit] Distribution

Rafetus swinhoei have been known to inhabit the Yangtze River and Lake Taihu, situated on the border of Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces, in eastern China; Gejiu in Yunnan province in southern China; and the Red River in the north of Vietnam. In recent years a single specimen of Rafetus swinhoei was caught by fishermen in Hoa Binh Province on the Song Da tributary of the Red River.[1] The last known specimen caught in the wild in China was in 1972 at Gejiu; that turtle was then transferred to the Shanghai Zoo. [2] A turtle in Hoan Kiem Lake in the center of Hanoi, Vietnam, has been sighted and caught on film in recent years,[[[Media:Video]]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-J9IAStao0w].

It has recently been speculated that the specimen in Hoan Kiem Lake in Hanoi, Vietnam, is a separate species named Rafetus leloii.

There are only five known living specimens; four are located in China: one at the Shanghai Zoo, one in the Suzhou Zoo, and two in the Western Temple (Simplified Chinese: 西园寺; Pinyin: Xīyuánsì) in Suzhou. The fifth living specimen is at Hoan Kiem Lake;[3] a sixth specimen at the Beijing Zoo died in 2005.[4]

[edit] Description

Rafetus swinhoei are noted for their deep head with pig-like snout and eyes dorsally placed. They measure over 100  cm in length and 70 cm in width and weigh approximately of 120-140 kg. Their carapace, or shell can grow larger than 50 cm in length and width. Their heads can measure over 20 cm in length and 10 cm in width. Males are generally smaller than females and have longer, larger tails.[3]

[edit] Habitat

Large river systems and associated wetlands and lakes.[3]

[edit] Reproduction

Individuals lay from 60 to more than 100 eggs. They nest at night and during the morning.[3]

[edit] Diet

Includes fish, crabs, snails, water hyacinth, frogs, and leaves.

[edit] Key threats

Rafetus swinhoei is on the brink of extinction due to hunting for subsistence and local consumption and the use of the carapace and bones in medicine. Skulls are often kept as trophies.[3]

[edit] Conservation efforts

Conservation efforts are concentrated on breeding captive turtles in China and searching for live specimens in the wild. Recently an agreement was made to transfer the female specimen located at the Shanghai Zoo to the Suzhou Zoo to breed with the male specimen there. Also efforts are being made to improve conditions for breeding at both the Suzhou Zoo and Western Temple in Suzhou.

[edit] The legend of Kim Qui

The specimen located in Hoan Kiem Lake in Hanoi is thought to be the legendary Kim Qui, or Golden Turtle God, who has appeared at opportune moments throughout Vietnamese history. The golden turtle first appeared during the reign of King An Duong Vuong (257-207 BC) and assisted the king in the construction of defenses for the ancient capital of Co Loa. When Co Loa was attacked Kim Qui assisted the king in making a magical cross-bow that rained arrows upon the invaders. When the King’s daughter conspired against her father Kim Qui emerged again to inform An Duong Vuong of the betrayal; the king consequentially killed his daughter and drowned himself in the lake.[5]

In the 15th century, a rebel general named Lê Lợi obtained a magical sword that a fisherman had pulled out of the lake. Lê Lợi used this sword to lead an insurrection against the Chinese armies that were in occupation of Vietnam. After establishing Vietnam's independence the now King Lê Lợi returned to the lake and Kim Qui caught the sword in his teeth and submerged. Lê Lợi then named the lake 'Lake of Restored Sword', or Hoan Kiem.[5]

In 1999, 2000, and 2005 turtles have reemerged from Hoan Kiem Lake on special occasions, when it was seen by a large audience and caught on film. It is believed that there is only a single turtle left in the lake.[5]

[edit] Further reading

  • Farkas, B and Webb, R.G. 2003. Rafetus leloii Hà Dinh Dúc, 2000—an invalid species of softshell turtle from Hoan Kiem Lake, Hanoi, Vietnam (Reptilia, Testudines, Trionychidae). Zool. Abhandl. (Dresden), 53:107-112.
  • Meylan, P.A. Rafetus swinhoei. in Pritchard, P.C.H., and A. Rhodin eds., The conservation biology of freshwater turtles. IUCN publications.
  • Meylan, P. A. and R. G. Webb. 1988. Rafetus swinhoei (Gray) 1873, a valid species of living soft-shelled turtle (family Trionychidae) from China. Journal of Hepatology. 22:118-119.

[edit] References

  1. ^ In Search of Rafetus swinhoei. Turtle Conservation Vietnam. Retrieved on 2006-12-09.
  2. ^ 斑鳖保护合作交流研讨会会议纪要. Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding (2006). Retrieved on 2006-12-09.
  3. ^ a b c d e Species: Rafetus swinhoei. Asian Turtle Conservation Network. Retrieved on 2006-12-09.
  4. ^ Draft Action Plan- Rafetus swinhoei. Turtle Survival Alliance. Retrieved on 2006-12-09.
  5. ^ a b c Hoan Kiem Lake Turtle: from myth to reality. VietNamNet Bridge (2005). Retrieved on 2006-12-09.

[edit] External links

Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org../../../r/a/f/Rafetus_swinhoei.html"
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