Endangered
Euphrates softshell turtle
Rafetus euphraticus
Euphrates softshell turtle is a turtle in the family Trionychidae — Rafetus euphraticus, recorded as Endangered.
Appearance
This freshwater turtle can weigh up to 20 kg (44 lb), and it has a smooth leathery shell that can reach up to 68 cm (2.2 ft) in length. The upperparts are typically dull olive in colour, sometimes with an indistinct spotted pattern, especially on the head. There are some minor variations in the colour pattern, and rarely individuals may be dark brown or even black above.
Range and habitat
The Euphrates softshell turtle has been found in a wide range of freshwater habitats such as rivers, streams, lakes, ponds, reservoirs and marshlands. In the fast-flowing Euphrates it generally avoids the main stem, instead occurring in side-branches or backwaters. In parts of the Tigris River with a slower flow, it occurs even in the main stem.
Pins are Wikidata “endemic to” fields. Orange dots, when present, are GBIF occurrence tiles — survey bias included.
Breeding
The nest is dug by the female in a bank of a river and it can be up to 50 cm (1.6 ft) deep. In one case a nest was placed about 4.1 m (13 ft) from the water's edge, in a sand bank with an incline of almost 15°.
Each nest can contain up to 32 eggs. In some regions a female may nest twice in a season.
In crisis
The Euphrates softshell turtle is an endangered species that primarily is threatened by habitat loss and alteration, especially the building of dams, but to lesser extent also pollution and killing by fishermen. The Euphrates softshell turtle is an endangered species. The primary threats are habitat loss and alterations, but to a lesser extent also pollution and killing by fishermen.
A major threat is dams, that alter levels of sediment and water temperature, and may flood areas. For example, the population in the Halfeti region disappeared entirely following the construction of the Atatürk Dam, possibly due to colder water, and the Ilısu Dam flooded some known nesting sites of the species.
CITES lists this taxon on Appendix II. Confirm the current appendix on the CITES checklist.
Euphrates softshell turtle is Endangered on this catalog because that is the IUCN category stored on Wikidata. Confirm the official criteria and any later count on iucnredlist.org.
Sources
Written for this catalog from the English Wikipedia article on Euphrates softshell turtle, Wikidata item Q1989799. Family and order context is original field-guide writing about the group, not a copied assessment of this one species. Wikipedia text is CC BY-SA. Not an IUCN assessment. Counts, when quoted, can change — confirm them on the recovery programme and on iucnredlist.org.
