Baripada, August 13 (Odisha.in) Scientists Monday claimed that they have discovered several species of fresh water turtles from Orissa’s Similipal Biosphere reserve of them one species for the first time.
Professor Susil Kumar Dutta, head of Zoology Department of North Orissa University, who discovered these two species. However they are threatened because local people are killing them to collect their shell.
The species they discovered are known as “Angostura Tecra, Melanchalys Trijug and indopeninsularis”
We have also found a type of land turtle, which are known to occur in other parts of Orissa, Dutta told Odisha.in.
The colour of their body is yellow and they live mostly in sal forests or in the grassland close to such forests.
The land tortoise, he said feeds mainly on sal flowers. The species may vanish with the disappearance of the sal forests, he added.
Odisha.in