Turtle with a ‘permanent smile’ is back from extinction
Recommended for Preparatory Grades
The turtle with a ‘permanent smile’
The Burmese roofed turtle is found in Myanmar. This giant Asian river turtle is famous for its “permanent smile” as its face is naturally set in a goofy grin.
The turtles once lived in many numbers at the mouth of the Irrawaddy River in Myanmar. Female Burmese roofed turtles are larger than males. They can grow as large as a steering wheel.
Unfortunately, overfishing and other reasons led to its numbers getting very less. The turtle with a ‘permanent smile’ was believed to be extinct (lost forever) until a few of the turtles were rediscovered in 2002.
Since then, thankfully, scientists have successfully managed to increase its population to more than 1000. Some of the turtles have even been released into the wild in Myanmar.
However, there is still a long way to go. Scientists still do not know much about the turtle’s biology and living habits. This lack of knowledge makes it difficult to know how to protect them in the wild.
Why is it important to save turtles and tortoises?
Turtles and tortoises face one of the highest extinction risks of any animal group. More than half the planet’s 360 species are listed as threatened.
Here is a video of the eggs of the turtle with a ‘permanent smile’ hatching. Video credit: WCS Myanmar/Youtube
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