Yangtze River giant soft turtle

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Yangtze River giant soft turtle
Rùa Đồng Mô.jpg

Yangtze River Giant Soft Turtle ( Rafetus swinhoei )

Systematics
Order : Turtles (Testudinata)
Subordination : Halsberger tortoises (Cryptodira)
Family : Softshell turtles (Trionychidae)
Subfamily : Common softshell turtles (Trionychinae)
Genre : Rafetus
Type : Yangtze River giant soft turtle
Scientific name
Rafetus swinhoei
( Gray , 1873)

The Yangtze River giant softshell turtle ( Rafetus swinhoei ) is a species of tortoise from the family of softshell turtles (Trionychidae). It is critically endangered and only a few living specimens are known. The last known female died on April 13, 2019.

features

Like all softshell turtles, these turtles have a soft, leathery shell . They reach a length of up to 109 centimeters and a weight of 120 to 140 kilograms. In one specimen, the head was 22.5 inches long and 11.8 inches wide and the carapace 58.6 inches long and 50.7 inches wide. Males are generally smaller than females but have longer tails. The head is characterized by the pig-like snout and the relatively high ( dorsal ) eyes.

Distribution and way of life

The Yangtze River giant soft turtles were originally found in southern China and northern Vietnam . Their habitat were river systems and adjacent wetlands and lakes. Very little is known about the way of life: According to reports from fishermen, fish, crabs, snails, water hyacinths, frogs and green rice leaves were found in the stomach of a killed animal. The female lays around 60 eggs at night or early in the morning.

threat

Drawing by Rafetus swinhoei

In 2004, reports of five animals living in human care in China spoke of only two in 2007: an 80-year-old female who lived in Changsha Zoo and a 100-year-old male who lived in Suzhou Zoo .

In 2008 another wild specimen was observed in Vietnam.

A prominent wild animal that bore the name "Cu Rua" (literally "grandfather", although it is a female animal ) was native to Hoan Kiem Lake in Hanoi (Vietnam). There have been several photographs of this specimen since 1998, but according to some researchers it represented its own species, Rafetus leloi . In July 2011 this turtle was released into the wild after successful medical treatment. The turtle, which was believed to weigh 170 kilograms at the time, was injured by a fish hook. In January 2016, this specimen died with a length of 2.10 meters and a weight of 250 kilograms. After an elaborate embalming , the body of "Cu Rua" was exhibited in Hanoi in March 2019.

This means that only three known individuals of this species should have existed worldwide in 2016.

The main reasons for the threat are, on the one hand, the destruction of their habitat by river regulations, dam construction and other things, and, on the other hand, hunting, since their meat was eaten and their carapace was used for medical purposes. The IUCN lists the species as " critically endangered ".

Web links

Commons : Yangtze River Giant Softshell Turtle  - Collection of images, videos, and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. Last known female died
  2. ^ Asian Turtle Conservation Network ( Memento from December 14, 2006 in the Internet Archive )
  3. China's Turtles, Emblems of a Crisis .
  4. ^ Turtle believed to be extinct discovered , Der Tagesspiegel April 18, 2008.
  5. Massive Turtle From Hoan Kiem Lake.
  6. Vietnam mourns a sacred animal: Revered giant tortoise is dead. Report on n-tv.de from January 20, 2016.
  7. Hoan Kiem Lake Turtle: from myth to reality. ( Memento of December 7, 2006 in the Internet Archive ) Vietnamnet.vn, April 5, 2005 (archive version).
  8. Giant tortoise released. One of four Rafetus Swinhoei specimens worldwide. Report in the NZZ of July 13, 2011.
  9. Legendary turtle embalmed in Vietnam , orf.at , March 22, 2019.
  10. Arne Perras: Death of the Supreme Tortoise. In: Süddeutsche Zeitung. January 21, 2016, accessed January 22, 2016 .