Source: TH
Context: Ten critically endangered Asian giant tortoises were reintroduced into the Zeliang Community Reserve, Nagaland, under a joint initiative by the Nagaland Forest Department and India Turtle Conservation Programme (ITCP).
About Asian Giant Tortoise Reintroduction in Nagaland:
- What It Is?
- The Asian Giant Tortoise is the largest land tortoise in mainland Asia, known for its ecological role in forest ecosystems. It is a slow-moving herbivore, crucial for seed dispersal, soil turnover, and maintaining forest health.
- Scientific Name: Manouria emys
- Habitat:
- Found in tropical and subtropical forests of India, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Thailand, Malaysia, and Indonesia.
- Prefers dense, moist lowland and hill forests, especially with abundant leaf litter and undergrowth.
- In India, it was historically widespread in Northeast India, including Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh.
- Conservation Status:
- IUCN Red List: Critically Endangered.
- Listed under Schedule IV of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972 (India)
- Key Features:
- Physical Characteristics:
- Size: Can grow up to 60 cm in length and weigh over 35 kg.
- Shell: Dark brown to black, heavily domed, with prominent growth rings on each scute.
- Limbs: Thick, scaly forelimbs with elephant-like feet, used for digging.
- Head: Flattened with a sharp beak, used for tearing vegetation.
- Biological Traits:
- Longevity: Can live up to 80–100 years.
- Diet: Herbivorous—feeds on leaves, fruits, mushrooms, and decomposing plant matter.
- Reproduction: Females build nest mounds and lay eggs in leaf litter; known to guard the nest—a rare trait among tortoises.
- Activity: Mostly diurnal and solitary and thrives in humid conditions.
- Unique Features:
- Known as the “small elephant of the forest” due to its role in seed dispersal and floor scavenging.
- One of the few tortoise species that builds above-ground nests and exhibits maternal care.
- Plays a keystone ecological role—its disappearance can disrupt forest regeneration cycles.
