All Topics  
Arakan Forest Turtle

 
Arakan Forest Turtle

 
   Email Print
   Bookmark   Link
 

 

Arakan Forest Turtle
 
 
  Topics Arakan Forest Turtle Topic Home

The Arakan Forest Turtle (Heosemys depressa) is an extremely rare turtle
Turtle

Turtles are reptiles of the Order Testudines , most of whose body is shielded by a special bone or cartilage animal shell developed from their ribs....
 species which lives only in the Arakan hills of western Myanmar
Myanmar

Burma, officially the Union of Myanmar, is the largest country by geographical area in mainland Southeast Asia, or Indochina. The country is bordered by the People's Republic of China on the northeast, Laos on the east, Thailand on the southeast, Bangladesh on the west, India on the northwest, and the Bay of Bengal to the southwest with...
.

The Arakan Forest Turtle was believed extinct (last seen in 1908), but in 1994 was rediscovered when a few specimens turned up in Asian food markets. Like most Asian turtles, it is collected yearly as a food source or for "medical cures." Only a handful of these conservation reliant
Conservation reliant species

File:Conservation reliant species08.jpgConservation reliant species are Endangered species or threatened animal or plant species that require continuing species specific wildlife management intervention such as Hunting#Wildlife_management, Habitat conservation and Pest control to survive even when self-sustaining Recovery Plan are achieved....
 turtles are in captivity, and their status in the wild, which is dubious at best, is listed as critical
Endangered species

An endangered species is a population of an organism which is at risk of becoming extinct because it is either few in numbers, or threatened by changing environmental or predation parameters....
.

"The animals seem to be extremely difficult to establish in captivity," said Peter Paul van Dijk, director of the tortoise and freshwater turtle program for Conservation International.






Discussion
Ask a question about 'Arakan Forest Turtle'
Start a new discussion about 'Arakan Forest Turtle'
Answer questions from other users
Full Discussion Forum



Encyclopedia


The Arakan Forest Turtle (Heosemys depressa) is an extremely rare turtle
Turtle

Turtles are reptiles of the Order Testudines , most of whose body is shielded by a special bone or cartilage animal shell developed from their ribs....
 species which lives only in the Arakan hills of western Myanmar
Myanmar

Burma, officially the Union of Myanmar, is the largest country by geographical area in mainland Southeast Asia, or Indochina. The country is bordered by the People's Republic of China on the northeast, Laos on the east, Thailand on the southeast, Bangladesh on the west, India on the northwest, and the Bay of Bengal to the southwest with...
.

The Arakan Forest Turtle was believed extinct (last seen in 1908), but in 1994 was rediscovered when a few specimens turned up in Asian food markets. Like most Asian turtles, it is collected yearly as a food source or for "medical cures." Only a handful of these conservation reliant
Conservation reliant species

File:Conservation reliant species08.jpgConservation reliant species are Endangered species or threatened animal or plant species that require continuing species specific wildlife management intervention such as Hunting#Wildlife_management, Habitat conservation and Pest control to survive even when self-sustaining Recovery Plan are achieved....
 turtles are in captivity, and their status in the wild, which is dubious at best, is listed as critical
Endangered species

An endangered species is a population of an organism which is at risk of becoming extinct because it is either few in numbers, or threatened by changing environmental or predation parameters....
.

"The animals seem to be extremely difficult to establish in captivity," said Peter Paul van Dijk, director of the tortoise and freshwater turtle program for Conservation International. There are only 14 Arakan Forest Turtles in Association of Zoos and Aquariums
Association of Zoos and Aquariums

The Association of Zoos and Aquariums is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the advancement of zoos and aquariums in the areas of conservation, education, science, and recreation....
 accredited institutions in the United States -- at Zoo Atlanta, the St. Louis Zoo, the Miami Metro Zoo, River Banks Zoo and Garden in Columbia, South Carolina, and Knoxville Zoo.

In May 2007 Zoo Atlanta, the only Arakan Forest turtle breeding facility in the world, announced the successful hatched of their fourth hatchling to have been born there in the last six years. They also announced that there is another egg near hatching, and two additional hatchlings did not survive. Arakan Forest turtles only mate once a year, and the eggs take 100 days to hatch.

Sources

  • Accessed May 1, 2007.
  • Accessed May 1, 2007.
  • Accessed May 1, 2007.