Creatures in Crisis
Photograph of Leith's softshell turtle (Nilssonia leithii), recorded as Critically Endangered
Leith's softshell turtle (Nilssonia leithii). Image via Wikimedia Commons.

Critically Endangered

Leith's softshell turtle

Nilssonia leithii

Leith's softshell turtle is a turtle in the family Trionychidae — Nilssonia leithii, recorded as Critically Endangered.

Status
Critically Endangered
Scientific name
Nilssonia leithii
CITES
Appendix II
Taxonomy
Testudines · Trionychidae · Nilssonia

Appearance

It is like the latter in the longer and more pointed snout, the absence of a strong ridge on the inner alveolar surface of the mandible, and in the presence, in the young, of four or more dorsal ocelli, that are, even so, smaller than in N. Hurum. Leith's softshell turtle is a turtle in the family Trionychidae.

Adults may attain a straight carapace length of 64 cm (25 in).

Range and habitat

Leith's softshell turtle is endemic to peninsular India in the Indian states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu and Odisha Leith's softshell turtle is a turtle in the family Trionychidae. The species is found in peninsular Indian rivers among them the Thungabhadra, Ghataprabha, Bhavani, Godavari, Kaveri and Moyar Rivers.

Pins are Wikidata “endemic to” fields. Orange dots, when present, are GBIF occurrence tiles — survey bias included.

Diet and breeding

It also sometimes feeds on small aquatic vegetation. The eggs are spherical, and the diameter of each egg is 30 to 31 mm (1.2 in).

In crisis

Other major threats are riverine development projects, aquatic pollution, sand mining, construction of hydroelectric projects, poaching, and exploitation of eggs.

CITES lists this taxon on Appendix II. Confirm the current appendix on the CITES checklist.

Leith's softshell turtle is Critically 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 Leith's softshell turtle, Wikidata item Q304147. 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.

Photograph via Wikimedia Commons. Wikipedia · Wikidata · IUCN Red List.

Same genus

Photograph of Black softshell turtle (Nilssonia nigricans), recorded as Critically EndangeredCR

Black softshell turtle

Nilssonia nigricans
Photograph of Burmese peacock softshell (Nilssonia formosa), recorded as Critically EndangeredCR

Burmese peacock softshell

Nilssonia formosa
Photograph of Indian peacock softshell turtle (Nilssonia hurum), recorded as EndangeredEN

Indian peacock softshell turtle

Nilssonia hurum
Photograph of Indian softshell turtle (Nilssonia gangetica), recorded as EndangeredEN

Indian softshell turtle

Nilssonia gangetica

Quick answers

What is Leith's softshell turtle?
Leith's softshell turtle is a turtle in the family Trionychidae — Nilssonia leithii.
What is the conservation status of Leith's softshell turtle?
Critically Endangered, as the IUCN category stored on Wikidata for Nilssonia leithii. Confirm the official assessment on iucnredlist.org.
Where does Leith's softshell turtle live?
The species is found in peninsular Indian rivers among them the Thungabhadra, Ghataprabha, Bhavani, Godavari, Kaveri and Moyar Rivers.
Why is Leith's softshell turtle in crisis?
Other major threats are riverine development projects, aquatic pollution, sand mining, construction of hydroelectric projects, poaching, and exploitation of eggs.
Is this the IUCN Red List page for Nilssonia leithii?
No. This is a researched catalog account. The Red List is the assessment.
Is Leith's softshell turtle a pet?
An animal on this catalog is in crisis in the wild. Keeping one is usually the wrong question.