Sal forest tortoise

Relevance: Prelims: Environment

Sal forest tortoise habitat stretches over unprotected areas - The ...

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• According to a recent study by ecologists in the Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, over 90% of the potential distribution of the Sal forest tortoise falls outside current protected area’s network.

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The habitat of Sal forest tortoise stretches over unprotected ...

Indotestudo elongate  is commonly known Elongated tortoise, Yellow Tortoise and Sal forest tortoise. As per IUCN Red List Status is Critically Endangered.

• It is a species of tortoise found in Southeast Asia and parts of the Indian Subcontinent, particularly Northeast India.

• These up to 1 foot-long tortoises have elongated somewhat narrow carapaces and yellow heads. Shells are typically a pale tannish-yellow to caramel color, with blotches of black.

According to the IUCN the population of the species may have fallen by about 80% in the last three generations (90 years).

• It is heavily hunted for food and collected both for local use, such as decorative masks, and international wildlife trade. In china, a mixture, made by grinding up the tortoise’s shell, also serves as an aphrodisiac.

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