The northern Batagor river turtle (Batagor basca) is considered one of the three rarest turtle species in the world Twelve years ago, the Schönbrunn Zoo in Vienna, Austria, witnessed the success of the world’s first operation “Batagor basca” or northern turtle, states What states the German ” Die Welt” website.
After that, a project for the protection of endangered species was launched in the Zoological Garden in Bangladesh under the supervision of Viennese experts. Since then, 650 hatchlings have hatched, the zoo said on the occasion of Reptile Awareness Day, which falls on Oct. 21 each year.
One in five reptile species worldwide is threatened with extinction, and more than half of them are turtle species. Originally, the Batagorpasca tortoise, or as it is known as the northern tortoise, was distributed in Southeast Asia between Bengal, Myanmar and Thailand.
Today, many of these species are extinct in these areas. It has been on the Red List of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) since 1982, and in 2003 it became the most endangered turtle species.
Moving turtles!
The main reason for the extinction of this species of turtle is that its eggs and meat are delicious. The shell of this type of turtle is used to make certain medicines. These animals live in endangered “mangrove” forests. This is because its trees have been cut down and its beaches destroyed by sand mining and dam building in the area.
Together with the local population and local and international partners, two breeding stations have been set up in Bangladesh over the past 10 years, where hundreds of chicks are now hatching, said Doris Bringer, a researcher at Schönbrunn Zoo.
According to Vienna Zoo, the project to protect endangered species, including the northern Batagor river turtle (Batagor basca), is one of the most successful zoo projects in the world. “At the beginning of 2010, we were able to celebrate the first reproduction of this extremely rare species in the world at the Schönbrunn Zoo,” said Anton Weissenbacher, project manager and head of the zoology department, citing the scientific journal Science. we were able to breed hundreds of animals in Bangladesh.”
The project manager adds: “However, the large number of fishing nets in their habitat poses a great danger to the turtles. Together with the local authorities, we are working on a sustainable solution with the aim of ensuring the long-term resettlement of this species of turtle.”
It is significant that the “Schönbrunn” zoo team was able to revisit the endangered species protection project in Bangladesh in 2022 after a two-year break due to the outbreak of the Corona virus and its protection measures.
AM/YYYY
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You live more than 100 years.. Ten amazing facts about the world of turtles
Turtles have been around for millions of years!
There is a reason for the prehistoric nature of the turtle’s appearance. The first species of turtle appeared about 260 million years ago, at the end of the period known as the Triassic. Soon after the appearance of the turtles, the earth witnessed a great event that took the lives of most of the then living creatures. But fortunately, due to its feeding and housing habits, the turtle managed to survive in the new world!
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You live more than 100 years.. Ten amazing facts about the world of turtles
Turtles can be older than 100 years
Although the lifespan of a turtle depends on the species it belongs to, most of them have the ability to live a long time. The lifespan of turtles is from ten to eighty years, while larger species can live more than 100 years.
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You live more than 100 years.. Ten amazing facts about the world of turtles
Turtles come in different shapes and sizes
There are 356 recognized species of turtles, but all are classified as reptiles. When we talk about what differentiates turtles is the cartilaginous shell on their back, and there is a difference, because there are sea turtles and others with leathery backs and species with flexible backs and others…
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You live more than 100 years.. Ten amazing facts about the world of turtles
Most turtles live in or near water.
The rank of turtles includes all reptiles that have an outer shell of bones that protects their body, but the biggest difference between turtle species is whether they live on land or near water.
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You live more than 100 years.. Ten amazing facts about the world of turtles
Not all turtles are vegetarians
Most turtles can eat both plants and meat, but some species are pickier than others. While land turtles eat plants and fruit, the fearsome-looking alligator snapping turtle is a carnivore that feeds on everything from fish to small coastal mammals.
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You live more than 100 years.. Ten amazing facts about the world of turtles
Turtles do not care for their young
Turtles, including sea turtles, lay their eggs on land, where they dig to keep the eggs close to their habitat. But turtles are not creatures that stay with their young to take care of them, but leave them to discover the world on their own when they die.
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You live more than 100 years.. Ten amazing facts about the world of turtles
male or female? Temperatures decide!
If the turtle eggs are kept at a temperature lower than 27.7 degrees Celsius, the baby is male. If the temperature rises above 31 degrees Celsius, the turtle is female. In case the temperature falls between these two numbers, the result will be a mixture of male and female together. But due to climate change, today’s turtles have more females than males due to higher temperatures.
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You live more than 100 years.. Ten amazing facts about the world of turtles
Amazing sense of direction!
Sea turtles have an amazing ability to return to the beach where they were born after years of abandonment. Like other animals, sea turtles can get directions using their ability to recognize the magnetic field of each shore and the smallest differences so that they can return home.
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You live more than 100 years.. Ten amazing facts about the world of turtles
Insight too!
Turtles have a strong ability to see below the surface of the water, and scientists have found that they can recognize several colors and prefer one over another. Although sea turtles have devices for self-orientation, there is evidence that they have a limited sense of sight on land.
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You live more than 100 years.. Ten amazing facts about the world of turtles
The turtle’s life is in danger!
Despite having existed on Earth for millions of years, six of the seven species are threatened by humans. Thousands of turtles fall victim to fishing nets every year, while in some parts of the world they are killed to get their eggs, meat or armor on the top of their backs! Inika Moles/DB/AJM
