Black Soft-shell Turtle
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| Black Soft-shelled Turtle | ||||||||||||||||
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| Aspideretes nigricans (Anderson, 1875) |
The black soft-shelled turtle or Bostami turtle (Aspideretes nigricans) is a species of freshwater turtle found in India (Assam) and Bangladesh (Chittagong). Where the species first lived is not known, but now the species survives from a small population (around 400 turtles) in a manmade pond which is part of a shrine in Chittagong, Bangladesh. They are dependent on humans for survival.
According to local legend, this final population are the descendants of sinners who were turned into turtles by a saint during the 13th century.
[edit] References
- Asmat (2002). Aspideretes nigricans. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. Retrieved on 11 May 2006. Database entry includes a brief justification of why this species is listed as extinct in the wild
- Anderson, J. 1875 Description of some new Asiatic mammals and Chelonia. Ann. Mag. nat. Hist. (4) 16: 282-285.
- Praschag, P. & Gemel, R. 2002 Identity of the black softshell turtle Aspideretes nigricans (Anderson 1875) with remarks on related species. Faun. Abh. Mus. Tierk. Dresden 23: 87-116
