#arakan forest turtle

[daily-turtles]

Today’s turtle is the Arakan Forest Turtle!

[focusonthegoodnews]

Lazarus Taxons: 5 Species That Returned From Extinction Good News Notes: "In the fields of paleontology, biology, or ecology, the term "Lazarus taxon" refers to a species that disappears for a time - either from the fossil records or directly believed to be extinct - only to return at a later time.

[ainawgsd]

Arakan Forest Turtle

The Arakan forest turtle (Heosemys depressa) is a rare turtle species which lives only in the Arakan Hills of western Myanmar and the bordering Chittagong Hill Tracts of Bangladesh. The Arakan forest turtle is a semiterrestrial turtle, meaning it can survive in aquatic as well as terrestrial habitats, but as adults, they prefer living in terrestrial habitats. 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 turtles are in captivity, and their status in the wild is listed as critical.

"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. Only 14 Arakan forest turtles are housed in Association of Zoos and Aquariums-accredited institutions in the United States. In May 2007, Zoo Atlanta, the only Arakan forest turtle breeding facility in the world, announced the successful hatching of the fourth hatchling to have been born there in the last six years. 

In 2009, scientists discovered wild Arakan forest turtles for the first time in history in an elephant sanctuary in Myanmar. The research, carried out in 2003 and 2009, used canines and survey teams working with locals to search for the rare species. A survey of local hunters in the area revealed several possible behavioral characteristics of the turtle, such as a nocturnal lifestyle and increased activity during the early wet season. The scientific team also labeled the area as a good prospective place to focus conservation efforts for the turtle, despite the fact that locals do occasionally hunt and eat them. Even with those activities, the elephant sanctuary is difficult to access and lacks any human settlement, making any human interference with the turtle merely opportunistic. No large-scale commercial project hunts the turtle, nor would there be a demand for one, since the turtle is too difficult to find compared to the little profit there is for doing so. Furthermore, the area even has a low risk of being exploited for natural resources, as easier-to-access areas nearby are abundant with them.

The turtle remains dormant the majority of the time by hiding in leaves and debris if they are not foraging for food. The Arakan forest turtle is an omnivore, feeding on both animals and plants. Although these turtles are considered a relatively reserved animal for the majority of their daily activity, they are aggressive when it comes to eating insects, worms, and fish. They also consume fruit that falls to the forest floor.

[meganzapiain-blog]

Arakan Forest turtle hatchlings

"Arakan forest turtles lay two to six eggs, usually once a year, that incubate for 120 to 130 days at 80 to 84 degrees F.  Little is known about their life cycle. Successful breeding started about five years ago, and those young are not sexually mature yet. Eggs take approximately six weeks to be produced."

http://www.zooatlanta.org/home/animals/reptiles/arakan_forest_turtle

[meganzapiain-blog]

How you can help:Support organizations like the Turtle Survival Alliance, who rely on private donations to establish assurance colonies (like the one in the above photo) to save turtle species from extinction. They also have facilities to help rehab confiscated turtles from the illegal wildlife trade.

[meganzapiain-blog]

Arakan Forest turtle (Heosemys depressa)

Threats: "Arakan forest turtles are critically endangered, and natural populations are ever decreasing due to habitat loss and collection for Asian food markets. Once thought extinct in the wild, the Arakan forest turtle was rediscovered in an Asian food market in 1994. These turtles are collected for food and for their mystical medicinal cures. Habitat loss is due to agricultural expansion, logging and bamboo harvesting."

http://www.zooatlanta.org/home/animals/reptiles/arakan_forest_turtle

[meganzapiain-blog]

Turtle Conservancy - Arakan Forest Turtle Basking (by turtleconservancy)

[meganzapiain-blog]

Description:"The carapace of this medium-sized turtle is light brown, with some individuals exhibiting black mottling or a black border, and the shell edge is distinctly serrated at the back (2) (5). The yellow to tan coloured plastron is marked with dark brown to black blotches or radiating streaks on each scute (2)(5). The head is uniformly grey to brown, the soft skin of the neck, limbs and tail is pale yellowish-brown, while the large scales on the legs are nearly black (2) (5). The claws are large and strong, with half-webbed toes on the forelimbs, but only basal webbing on the hindlimbs"

Habitat/ range:The Arakan forest turtle is endemic to the Arakan Yoma Hill range of western Myanmar

Diet:Due to its rarity and only relatively recent rediscovery, virtually nothing is known about The Arakan forest turtle in the wild (2). Captive individuals are apparently omnivorous, feeding on bananas, strawberries, romaine lettuce, earthworms and newborn mice (2), but hunters have reported that vegetation, fruit, and mushrooms constitute the bulk of the diet in the wild."