Black softshell turtle
The black soft-shell turtle or Bostami turtle (Nilssonia nigricans) is a species of freshwater turtle found in India (Assam) and Bangladesh (Chittagong and Sylhet). It was long believed to be inbred individuals of the Indian softshell turtle (A. gangeticus or N. gangeticus) or the Indian peacock softshell turtle (A. hurum or N. hurum), but later found to be a distinct species.[5]In the 1800s it was believed these turtles were brought from Iran to Chittagong shrine pond by Hazrat Bayezid Bostami. His turtles he had brought to this pond were treated as sacred and respected by the public.[6] Previously declared extinct by the International Union for Conservation of Nature in 2002, these turtles were found to still exist in a temple’s pond called the Hayagriva Madhava Temple located in Assam, India.[7] Through conservation methods and protection of the species, some of these turtles can be found today throughout the wild, and scientists and environmental biologists are continuing to work hard to preserve this endangered species and their natural habitat.
| Black softshell turtle | |
|---|---|
| |
| Conservation status | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Testudines |
| Family: | Trionychidae |
| Genus: | Nilssonia |
| Species: | N. nigricans
|
| Binomial name | |
| Nilssonia nigricans | |
| Synonyms[3][4] | |
Black Softshell Turtle Media
The side profile of an adult Bostami turtle
Visitors feeding the turtles in the pond.
The Bayazid Bostami shrine with its pond
A Bostami turtle being fed by human visitors.
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Rhodin 2011, p. 000.207
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 "IUCN Status report". Archived from the original on 2010-09-20. Retrieved 2020-05-21.
- ↑ Fritz Uwe; Peter Havaš (2007). "Checklist of Chelonians of the World" (PDF). Vertebrate Zoology. 57 (2): 311. ISSN 1864-5755. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-05-01. Retrieved 29 May 2012.
{{cite journal}}: More than one of|accessdate=and|access-date=specified (help); More than one of|archivedate=and|archive-date=specified (help); More than one of|archiveurl=and|archive-url=specified (help) - ↑ "Nilssonia nigricans ". The Reptile Database. www.reptile-database.org.
- ↑ Praschag et al. (2007)
- ↑ "'Bostami turtle' found in wild". The Daily Star. 13 July 2020.
- ↑ Weston, Phoebe (11 June 2019). "Indian temple helps nurture 'extinct' turtle back to life". Independent. https://www.independent.co.uk/environment/india-black-softshell-turtle-extinct-temple-hayagriva-madhava-hindu-vishnu-a8953621.html.