Black Softshell Turtle
> It is found in India and Bangladesh as a freshwater turtle.
> Of the 29 freshwater turtle species described in India, 20 are found in Assam and a dozen species are considered to be home to temple ponds.
> Since 2002, the black softshell turtle (Nilssonia nigricans) has been on the Red List of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as "extinct in the wild."
> Turtle meat and egg consumption, silt mining, wetland invasion, and changes in flooding patterns have had a devastating effect on the turtle population of the state.
Importance:
- Turtles hold a distinctive role within the food network. A variety of prey, including puffer fish, crustaceans, sponges, tunicates, sea grasses and algae are eaten. In transporting nutrients from highly active marine environments such as sea-grass beds to energy-poor environments such as sandy beaches, the unique life-cycle of the species plays a vital role. This helps to reverse the normal nutrient flow from land to sea.
- They further contribute to the preservation of safe fish populations in the body of water.
- Unhatched chickens, eggshells and liquids help to encourage decomposition and the production of much-needed fertiliser.
- As turtle numbers decrease in general, so does their ability to play a crucial role in preserving the health of the marine environments of the planet.
Wildlife Sanctuary at Pobitora:
> The sanctuary is located in the Brahmaputra River floodplains of the Morigaon district.
> After Kaziranga National Park, it has the second highest concentration of rhinos in Assam.
> In the winters, it also acts as a birder's sky, with thousands of waterfowl thronging the wetlands. Leopards, wild boars, barking deer, wild buffalo etc. are other animals found in the area.