Assam Roofed Turtle is an Indian reptile, that bears a scientific name "Pangshura sylhetensis" and belongs to the family of Geoemydidae.
Concentration of Assam Roofed Turtle
Assam Roofed Turtle is a species of the Geoemydidae family of turtles found in the Brahmaputra River-Meghna River drainage in Indian state, Assam and parts of eastern Bangladesh.
Genus of Assam Roofed Turtle
Assam Roofed Turtle was formerly in the Batagur genus and defunct genus Kachuga.
Structure of Assam Roofed Turtle
Assam Roofed Turtle has a triangular and elevated carapace with a prominent spiked keel and strongly serrated marginal plates.
Carapace of Assam Roofed Turtle
The carapace of Assam Roofed Turtle is olive-brown in colour, with a lighter (yellowish to beige) keel.
Head of Assam Roofed Turtle
The head of Assam roofed turtle is small and has a weakly hooked upper jaw; a narrow pink stripe runs from the back of each eye to the middle of the back of the head. Adults may attain a maximum length of 20 cm, although body sizes of ~15 cm are more common.
Habitat of Assam Roofed Turtle
Assam Roofed Turtle is widely distributed in the north-eastern and south-eastern parts of Bangladesh, Assam and possibly in Bhutan. It is found in terrestrial and freshwater habitats in areas with upland tropical moist forest, and fast-flowing streams and perhaps also small rivers. Oxbow lakes may also be inhabited, but shell morphology suggests an adaptation to fast-flowing waters.
Behaviour of Assam Roofed Turtle
Assam roofed turtle is amphibian. In the cooler months of the dry season, from December to February, it basks during most of the day; individuals living in cooler hill-streams may do so year round. The turtle is shy and never basks on river banks, but only on emergent logs or rocks. At the slightest disturbance, it will dive quickly to the middle of the river, hiding between rocks. Juveniles often flee into accumulations of dead leaves for camouflage and remain motionless.
Breeding of Assam Roofed Turtle
Assam Roofed Turtles nest between late October and February, corresponding with the cool, dry season and produce clutches of 6-12 eggs.
Hatching of Assam Roofed Turtle
The hatchlings of Assam Roofed Turtle appear mainly between March and April, at the beginning of the southeast monsoons.
