Wildlifeof India
Indian Narrow-headed Softshell Turtle
Tortoises & Freshwater Turtles
Photo: User:Shailendra Singh · CC BY 3.0 (May be cropped or resized)
Chitra indica
Basic stats
Diet
Fish, frogs, worms, crustaceans and molluscs; occasionally small mammals
Habitat
Rivers and waterways, buried in sandy bottoms
Range
Sutlej and Indus basins of Pakistan; Ganges, Godavari, Mahanadi and other river basins of India, Nepal and Bangladesh
Size
Carapace up to 1.1m
The Indian narrow-headed softshell is one of the largest freshwater turtles, with a straight-line carapace length of up to 1.1 m. It is native to the waterways and rivers of the Indian subcontinent, including the Ganges, Godavari and Mahanadi basins in India (Wikipedia, general species account).
It feeds on fish, frogs, worms, crustaceans and molluscs, and even the occasional swimming rodent or other small mammal. Like other softshell turtles it uses its flexible, leathery shell to dig itself deep into sandy lake and river bottoms, where it waits with only its nose, mouth and eyes exposed. When prey swims within reach, the head shoots out at high speed to grab it. The species is threatened by hunting and habitat loss.
Quick answers
- What does the Indian Narrow-headed Softshell Turtle eat?
- Fish, frogs, worms, crustaceans and molluscs; occasionally small mammals
- What habitat does the Indian Narrow-headed Softshell Turtle live in?
- Rivers and waterways, buried in sandy bottoms
- Where is the Indian Narrow-headed Softshell Turtle found?
- Sutlej and Indus basins of Pakistan; Ganges, Godavari, Mahanadi and other river basins of India, Nepal and Bangladesh
- How big is the Indian Narrow-headed Softshell Turtle?
- Carapace up to 1.1m