Heosemys depressa

(Anderson, 1875)

Vernacular names
English : Arakan forest turtle
French : Tortue d’Arakan

Classification
Class : Reptilia
Order : Testudines
Family : Geoemydidae
Notes : No subspecies known.

Identification
Adults can grow to a shell length of 22 cm for a weight of 1.3 kg. Shell with a flat back and incurved sides. Legs are very powerful and strong. Coloration is usually dull greyish-brown with dark head and slightly brighter brown mouth.

Range and habitat
The species occurs in south-east Asia and occurs in the Arakan hills in western Myanmar and nearby Bangladesh. Lives in tropical dry and semi-humid forests in hilly areas.

Conservation
IUCN RED LIST : CRITICALLY ENDANGERED
CITES : Appendix II
Status : This species is one of the most endangered turtles in the world. It was thought to be extinct until a small population was rediscovered.
Ex-Situ Programs : SSP in America

Observation

 

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