Creatures in Crisis
Photograph of Northern river terrapin (Batagur baska), recorded as Critically Endangered
Northern river terrapin (Batagur baska). Image via Wikimedia Commons.

Critically Endangered

Northern river terrapin

Batagur baska

Northern river terrapin is a turtle in the family Geoemydidae — Batagur baska, recorded as Critically Endangered.

Status
Critically Endangered
Scientific name
Batagur baska
CITES
Appendix I
Taxonomy
Testudines · Geoemydidae · Batagur

Appearance

The head is rather small, with a pointed and upwards-tending snout. The legs have band-like scales. The upper surface of the carapace and the soft parts are generally olive-brown, while the plastron is yellowish.

The northern river terrapin is one of Asia's largest freshwater and brackwater turtles, reaching a carapace length of up to 60 cm and a maximum weight of 18 kg.

Range and habitat

The northern river terrapin is distributed in the Sunderbans of India and Bangladesh. It is strongly aquatic but uses terrestrial nesting sites, frequenting the tidal areas of estuaries, large rivers, and mangrove forests. The northern river terrapin is a riverine turtle native to Southeast Asia.

Peter Praschag, the founder of Turtle Island.

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

Breeding

The species prefers freshwater habitats and moves to brackish river mouths or estuaries in the breeding season (December–March), returning after laying their eggs. Individuals have been known to undertake long seasonal migrations of 50 to 60 miles to the sand banks where they were hatched.

In crisis

It has been classified as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List and considered extinct in much of its former range. As of 2018, the population in the wild was estimated at 100 mature individuals. The species is considered Critically Endangered by the IUCN, principally due to exploitation as a food item (among them egg harvesting). After conducting conservation genetics studies on this critically endangered species, Dr.

Prior to the establishment of these centers, in 2005, the global population of B. Baska was critically low, with only two known living females at the Madras Crocodile Bank Trust in Tamil Nadu, India. As of 2024, the combined efforts of these centers, have resulted in a thriving population of 565 individuals in these centers and an estimated worldwide population of 800.

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

Northern river terrapin 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 Northern river terrapin, Wikidata item Q810705. 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 Burmese roofed turtle (Batagur trivittata), recorded as Critically EndangeredCR

Burmese roofed turtle

Batagur trivittata
Photograph of Painted terrapin (Batagur borneoensis), recorded as Critically EndangeredCR

Painted terrapin

Batagur borneoensis
Photograph of Red-crowned roofed turtle (Batagur kachuga), recorded as Critically EndangeredCR

Red-crowned roofed turtle

Batagur kachuga
Photograph of Southern river terrapin (Batagur affinis), recorded as Critically EndangeredCR

Southern river terrapin

Batagur affinis

Quick answers

What is Northern river terrapin?
Northern river terrapin is a turtle in the family Geoemydidae — Batagur baska.
What is the conservation status of Northern river terrapin?
Critically Endangered, as the IUCN category stored on Wikidata for Batagur baska. Confirm the official assessment on iucnredlist.org.
Where does Northern river terrapin live?
The northern river terrapin is distributed in the Sunderbans of India and Bangladesh.
Why is Northern river terrapin in crisis?
It has been classified as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List and considered extinct in much of its former range. As of 2018, the population in the wild was estimated at 100 mature individuals.
Is this the IUCN Red List page for Batagur baska?
No. This is a researched catalog account. The Red List is the assessment.
Is Northern river terrapin a pet?
An animal on this catalog is in crisis in the wild. Keeping one is usually the wrong question.