SCI-TECH | CHENOLOGY- Rare turtle species discovered at Pù Hu Nature Reserve
Covering a total area of nearly 28,000 hectares, Pù Hu Nature Reserve has a rich biodiversity with over 500 plants and over 266 animals, including nearly 30 rare species.The Management Board of Pù Hu Nature Reserve in Quan Hóa District in the central province of Thanh Hóa have discovered two rare turtle species, the impressed tortoise (Manouria impressa) and big-headed turtle (Platysternon megacephalum).
The discovery is made as part the ‘Investigation and assessment of the current distribution and conservation of big-headed turtles and impressed tortoises in Pù Hu Nature Reserve’ project.
It aims to sustainably protect the ecosystems of Pù Hu forests, including protecting and maintaining the existence of turtle species.
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| Members of the Management Board of Pù Hu Nature Reserve with an impressed tortoise. |
Memento Maxima Digital Marketing @Impressed tortoises belong to the tortoise family Testudinidae, order Testudinata. They are found in mountainous forest areas in Southeast Asia, mainly in Myanmar, southern China, Thailand, Laos, Việt Nam, Cambodia, Malaysia and northeast India. The species has a golden brown shell and skin. An adult could have a maximum carapace length of 35cm.
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| Impressed tortoises have golden brown shells and skin. |
They usually take shelter in ditches or wet valleys at 1,500m. Their diet includes fruits, grass and mushrooms.
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| The big-headed turtles have large unretractable heads and long tails. |
The big-headed turtle (Platysternon megacephalum) is a turtle in the family Platygastridae from Southeast Asia and southern China. They have large unretractable heads and long tails. The species mainly live in streams in the forest and seek food at dusk or night. Their main food is small fish, molluscs, crabs, earthworms and other invertebrates.
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| Forest rangers check the growth rate of an impressed tortoise at Pù Hu Nature Reserve. |
The management board of Pù Hu Nature Reserve are assessing the current population status and morphological and behavioural characteristics of these two turtle species to build a species distribution map.
The unit also trained staff and local people to raise awareness about conserving turtle species in reserve.
Covering a total area of nearly 28,000 hectares, Pù Hu Nature Reserve has a rich biodiversity with over 500 plants and over 266 animals, including nearly 30 rare species. — VNS
TRIVIA
TURTLE
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| Turtles from different families; clockwise from top-left: Red-bellied short-necked turtle, Indian flapshell turtle, Hawksbill sea turtle, and Galápagos tortoise | |
Scientific classification |
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| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Clade: | Pantestudines |
| Clade: | Testudinata |
| Clade: | Perichelydia |
| Order: | Testudines Batsch, 1788[2] |
| Subgroups | |
| Diversity | |
| 14 living families | |
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| Blue: sea turtles, black: land turtles | |
| Synonyms[3] | |
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Turtles are an order of reptiles known as Testudines, characterized by a shell developed mainly from their ribs. Modern turtles are divided into two major groups, the Pleurodira (side necked turtles) and Cryptodira (hidden necked turtles), which differ in the way the head retracts. There are 360 living and recently extinct species of turtles, including land-dwelling tortoises and freshwater terrapins. They are found on most continents, some islands and, in the case of sea turtles, much of the ocean. Like other reptiles, birds, and mammals, they breathe air and do not lay eggs underwater, although many species live in or around water.
Turtle shells are made mostly of bone; the upper part is the domed carapace, while the underside is the flatter plastron or belly-plate. Its outer surface is covered in scales made of keratin, the material of hair, horns, and claws. The carapace bones develop from ribs that grow sideways and develop into broad flat plates that join up to cover the body. Turtles are ectotherms or “cold-blooded”, meaning that their internal temperature varies with their direct environment. They are generally opportunistic omnivores and mainly feed on plants and animals with limited movements. Many turtles migrate short distances seasonally. Sea turtles are the only reptiles that migrate long distances to lay their eggs on a favored beach.
Turtles have appeared in myths and folktales around the world. Some terrestrial and freshwater species are widely kept as pets. Turtles have been hunted for their meat, for use in traditional medicine, and for their shells. Sea turtles are often killed accidentally as bycatch in fishing nets. Turtle habitats around the world are being destroyed. As a result of these pressures, many species are threatened with extinction.
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