Context
Recently, Mountaineers in Telangana have encountered a rarely found species of Albino Indian Flapshell Turtles.
- This Indian flapshell turtle that has been discovered several times in various parts of South Asia.
About Indian Flapshell Turtle
- Indian flapshell turtle (Lissemys punctata) is a freshwater species of turtle found in South Asia.
- The “flap-shelled” name stems from the presence of femoral flaps located on the plastron.
- These flaps of skin cover the limbs when they retract into the shell.
- They are found in Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bangladesh (Indus and Ganges drainages), and Myanmar (Irrawaddy and Salween Rivers).
- They live in the shallow, quiet, often stagnant waters of rivers, streams, marshes, ponds, lakes and irrigation canals, and tanks.
- These turtles prefer waters with sand or mud bottoms because of their tendency to burrow.
- They are also well adapted to drought conditions.
- They are known to be omnivorous.
- Its diet consists of frogs, shrimp, snails, aquatic vegetation, plant leaves, flowers, fruits, grasses and seeds.
- IUCN Status: Vulnerable
Reason behind different colors
The different color of the turtle may be due to albinism – a genetic disorder that causes a complete lack of pigments in the body, or a congenital disorder that is characterized by a complete or partial absence of tyrosine pigment.
International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)
- IUCN was founded in October 1948 as the International Union for the Protection of Nature (or IUPN) following an international conference in Fontainebleau, France.
- The organization changed its name to the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources in 1956 with the acronym IUCN (or UICN).
- IUCN is a membership union uniquely composed of both government and civil society organisations.
- IUCN Created in 1948, it is the global authority on the status of the natural world and the measures needed to safeguard it.
- It’s headquarter is in Gland, Switzerland.
- The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, is the world's most comprehensive inventory of the global conservation status of plant and animal species.
- Nine categories extend from NE (Not Evaluated) to EX (Extinct). Critically Endangered (CR), Endangered (EN) and Vulnerable (VU) species are considered to be threatened with extinction.
- It uses a set of quantitative criteria to evaluate the extinction risk of species. These criteria are relevant to most species and all regions of the world.
- The IUCN Red List Categories define the extinction risk of species assessed.
- It is recognized as the most authoritative guide to the status of biological diversity.
- It is also a key indicator for the SDGs and Aichi Targets.
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