Wildlifeof Nepal
Indian Flapshell Turtle
Tortoises & Freshwater Turtles
Photo: (c) Rahul Gupta, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC-BY
Lissemys punctata
Basic stats
Diet
Omnivorous: frogs, shrimp, snails, aquatic plants, fruits and seeds
Habitat
Lakes, rivers and desert ponds, preferring sand or mud bottoms
Clutch size
2–16 eggs, laid two or three times a year
Size
Carapace 24–37cm
The Indian flapshell turtle is a freshwater turtle of South Asia, common and widespread across much of its range. The name comes from the femoral flaps on the plastron, a pair of large flaps that can be closed over the hind limbs with a smaller flap over the tail; they cover the limbs when the turtle retracts into its shell. The head is large and the claws are heavy. The carapace is broadly oval in adults and more circular in the young (Wikipedia, general species account).
It is omnivorous, taking frogs, shrimp, snails, aquatic vegetation, leaves, flowers, fruits and seeds, and it prefers sand or mud bottoms because it burrows. Eggs are buried in soil, usually two or three times a year in clutches of two to 16.
Quick answers
- What does the Indian Flapshell Turtle eat?
- Omnivorous: frogs, shrimp, snails, aquatic plants, fruits and seeds
- What habitat does the Indian Flapshell Turtle live in?
- Lakes, rivers and desert ponds, preferring sand or mud bottoms
- How many eggs does the Indian Flapshell Turtle lay?
- 2–16 eggs, laid two or three times a year
- How big is the Indian Flapshell Turtle?
- Carapace 24–37cm