Himalayan Tricarinate Hill Turtle:
Forest officials recently found the rare Himalayan Tricarinate Hill Turtle in the Udanti Sitanadi Tiger Reserve forests of Chhattisgarh, marking an unusual sighting of the Himalayan species in central India.
- It is a small, terrestrial turtle species belonging to the family Geoemydidae.
- It derives its name from the three distinct keels on its shell, which provide it with a striking appearance.
- Scientific Name: Melanochelys tricarinata
- It is found along the narrow sub-Himalayan belt, stretching across northeastern India, southern Nepal, southern Bhutan, and northern Bangladesh.
- The species primarily inhabits temperate forests, as well as grasslands and foothills of the Himalayas.
- It is characterised by a highly domed carapace with three longitudinal keels.
- It has a small olive-to-dark coloured head with a narrow snout.
- It has scaly limbs adapted for terrestrial movement.
- Conservation Status:
- IUCN Red List: Endangered
