Batagur affinis edwardmolli

(Praschag, Holloway, Georges, Päckert, Hundsdörfer & Fritz, 2009)

Vernacular names
English : Southern river terrapin
French : Tortue royale

Classification
Class : Reptilia
Order : Testudines
Family : Geoemydidae
Notes : 1 other subspecies known.

Identification
Large turtle reaching up to 60 cm in carapace length with males smaller than females. Females of this ssp. are greenish-grey with silvery spots on sides of head. Males black with yellow eyes, orange edges of mouth, upturned snout.

Range and habitat
This subspecies occurs in east Malaysia and Cambodia. Species also found in Sumatra, western Malaysia and possibly south Thailand and Myanmar. Lives in mangrove swamps, lower rivers, coastal lagoons and estuaries.

Conservation
IUCN RED LIST : CRITICALLY ENDANGERED
CITES : Appendix I
Status : The species has been highly threatened by habitat destruction, pollution and collection of eggs and adults. It has disappeared from most of its range.
Ex-Situ Programs : None known

Observation

 

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