Important Facts For Prelims
Manouria impressa: Arunachal Pradesh
- 26 Jun 2019
- 2 min read
A tortoise named ‘Manouria impressa’ has been discovered in Arunachal Pradesh. Manouria is a genus of tortoises.
- Manouria impressa is one of the only fourth species of forest-dwelling tortoise occurring in Southeast Asia.
- This is the smaller of two species of the genus Manouria (Manouria oyamai and Manouria punjabiensis), the other being the larger Asian Giant Tortoise (Manouria emys).
- Previously, the tortoise was believed to be restricted to western Myanmar, along with pockets of habitat in Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia, and southern China, and south through Peninsular Malaysia.
- The species was last found in Gwa in Myanmar.
- The species is threatened by poaching primarily for traditional medicine and pet trade.
- It is listed on CITES Appendix II, and has been classified as Vulnerable by the IUCN Red List.
Asian Forest Tortoise
- Asian forest tortoise (Manouria emys), also known as Asian brown tortoise, is a species of tortoise found in India (Assam), Bangladesh, Burma (or Myanmar), Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia (Sumatra, Borneo).
- It is the largest tortoise in mainland Asia.
- This is a relatively rare turtle, listed on CITES Appendix II, and classified as Endangered by the IUCN Red List.
