Turtles and Tortoises

Humanoid Turtles are seen in action cartoons telecast on a TV Channel and are shown to display behaviour opposite to the turtles found in nature. Contrary to the wise, careful and slow- turtles and tortoises, found in nature that survive harsh conditions by acclimatizing; Ninja turtles are aggressive, trained with ninja skills and act as saviors.

Turtles and tortoises are recognized by the hard, rounded shell that they carry on their backs. They have four legs and a tail. They have scales on their bodies, females are egg laying and they do not have capability to generate body heat. They retract their limbs inside their shells to survive in the chilling weather and move out in the sun to get heat. They are cold blooded and are reptiles.

Ever wondered despite having similar traits, why turtles and tortoises have different names? Well, it is a matter of fact. Similar looking turtles and tortoises are different on account of their body size, structure and habitat, they dwell in. Turtles are aquatic while tortoises are land dwelling. The turtles that live in fresh water bodies- rivers and streams and seas and oceans, have streamlined shells, webbed feet and long claws. 

But, the tortoises have relatively rounded shell and bent legs with short and sturdy feet, as they live on land. The small sized turtles feed on frogs, shrimps, snails and aquatic plants but tortoises that are large sized are vegetarians.

The shy turtles and tortoises are animals in armour. They never strike like a warrior does, but they withdraw their heads and limbs when threatened. The upper part of their shell is called ‘carapace’ which means shield and the lower part is called ‘plastron’ which means breast-plate. Both the parts are connected by bridges. Despite having these basic differences, they are similar in that they have common ancestors and are endangered.

The loss of their habitats and nesting sites, pollution and poaching has led to the decline in their numbers. Human encroachment for activities like fishing etc, have led to decline in their numbers due to destruction of their eggs in their nesting sites on the beaches. Orissa is famous for the nesting site of Olive Ridley Turtles along the Rushikulya beach. Female turtles congregate on the beach for mass nesting in the month of February, annually in large numbers. The turtles that come out of eggs leave for the seas.

We come to hear of news reporting their plight and environmental campaigns that are organized to protect them, frequently. Like, in the last December, railway police seized a consignment of 115 turtles being poached from Varanasi to Kolkata. This was a serious offence as such activities can lead to extinction of many species.

Turtles and Tortoises are an integral part of our environment. We need to protect them. India Turtle Conservation Program (ITCP) is a program, jointly hosted by Turtle Survival Alliance (TSA) and Madras Crocodile Bank Trust (MCBT). It is being implemented in partnership of World Wild Fund (WWF) and other organizations repute so as to ascertain the global mission of TSA to reduce the turtle and tortoise extinction to zero. International Union of Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has recognized them as vulnerable and put them into red data list. 

Turtles and Tortoises are considered endangered and are put under the Indian Wildlife Protection Act, 1972. That means, it illegal to keep an Indian species of turtle or tortoise as pet or indulge in turtle and tortoise trade. You can’t make them pets and keep them in your homes to call upon them when you are back, but you can do one thing for sure and that is you can adopt them as celebrities do. Just pay the agencies for sustaining an animal and they will take care of your subject.