Narrow Headed Softshell Turtle
Category: Turtle
Facts about Narrow Headed Softshell Turtle. "Scientific name for Narrow Headed Softshell Turtle is Chitra indica" Narrow Headed Softshell Turtle is a Chitra of turtle that comes from the Trionychidae family. The Narrow Headed Softshell Turtles are widespread in India in the rivers of Godavari, Ganges, Mahanadi, Indus, Sutlej and Assam, Nepal and Pakistan. These turtles prefer to live in homes, such as deep water, habitually submerged, and due to their living habits much regarding the Narrow-headed Softshell turtles remains secrecy.
Features of Narrow Headed Softshell Turtle
The Narrow Headed Softshell turtle is a big-size tortoise, with a rectangular shell that has a maximum shell length of 45 inches (114 cm), and with a body mass of 260 pounds (118 kg). The shell of the Narrow Headed Softshell Turtle is similar to other varieties of turtles, which is enclosed with rubbery skin, in place of the firm plates found on nearly all turtle shells. The Narrow Headed Softshell turtle has an overall body color that ranges from olive green to profound olive-green. They have a multifaceted vertebral carapacial outline, with vertebral line.
The Narrow Headed Softshell turtles have glowing costal lines and paramedian neck lines, forming a bell-shaped pattern on anterior carapace. The neck lines do not form a constant light border around carapace and there is no separate pair of neck lines. The Narrow Headed Softshell Turtle can be easily differentiated from other varieties of softshell turtles by the beautiful, boldly lined pattern of dark wavy stripes on their upper surface of their neck, head and shell. The Narrow Headed Softshell turtle expends most of its life in the water, spending time on the grimy bottoms of profound rivers. These types of turtles hide themselves in the sand and they will wait for their prey. When a delicious-looking scrap happens by, the turtle spews out its elongated neck with immense speed and detains the unlucky prey.
In spite of the fairly high reproductive rate, the Narrow-headed Softshell turtle is in danger of death in the wild. The Narrow Headed Softshell Turtle is captured in enormous quantities and sold as medicine or food in the markets of Asian countries. Although there are some intercontinental laws intended to restrict the turtle business, these types of turtles are the victims to the trade and their population is slowly decreasing in their native. Diet In the wild the Narrow Headed Softshell turtle usually feeds on mollusks, fish, crabs and shrimp. Sometimes, they also feed on plant matter. In the captive, they are fed with mixed vegetables and fruit. Reproduction and Breeding The Narrow-headed Softshell seldom leaves the water, except at some stage in nesting period.
A female Narrow Headed Softshell Turtle hauls herself onto a grimy beach, with a nest cavity that ranges in depth from 50 cm (19 inches) to 75 cm (29 inches) into the bank of the river and into which the female Narrow Headed Softshell Turtle lays her eggs, ranging from 60 to 110 eggs at a time earlier than the wet season. Subsequent to laying her eggs, the female Narrow Headed Softshell Turtle will make use of her forelimbs to conceal them by means of sand. Though the average lifespan of the Narrow-headed Spider Tortoise is not known in the wild, the Narrow Headed Softshell Turtle varieties will live more than 70 years in the captive.