Northeast India is Home to 21 of India’s 29 vulnerable freshwater turtle and tortoise species.
Highlights:
A team of herpetologists from the NGO Help Earth’ discovered red-eared sliders in the Deepor Beel Wildlife Sanctuary and the Ugratara temple pond in Guwahati, Assam, between August 2018 and June 2019.
The red-eared slider (Trachemys scripta elegans) gets its name from the red stripes around the region of its body where its ears would be, as well as its ability to easily glide from any surface into the water.
This turtle is native to the United States and northern Mexico, and it is a very popular pet.
They grow very fast and there is almost nothing for native species to eat.
It has affected states such as Karnataka and Gujarat, and it has been found in 33 natural waters.
It’s critical to keep this invasive species from taking over the Brahmaputra and other river Ecosystems in the Northeast, because the region is home to more than 72 percent of the country’s turtle and tortoise species, all of which are extremely rare.