[Animals] Indian Softshell Turtle

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Indian softshell turtles (Nilssonia gangetica) are one of the largest freshwater turtle species in the world. They have many characteristics pertaining to their aquatic lifestyle. Indian softshell turtles are often maintained in the temple ponds of Orissa where they are considered sacred.The Indian softshell turtle is identified based on the structure of the carapace and plastron. There are eight pairs of costal plates, the last well developed and in contact throughout on the median line; two neurals between the first pair of costals; plates coarsely pitted and vermiculate. Epiplastra narrowly separated from each other in front of the ontoplastron, which forms an obtuse or a right angle; plastral callosities are very large, hyo-hypoplastral, xiphiplastral, and, in old specimens, ento-plastral. The head of the turtle is moderate; snout (on the skull) is about as long as the diameter of the orbit; the interorbital region, in the adult, is considerably narrower than the nasal fossa; the postorbital arch is one-third to one-half the greatest diameter of the orbit; mandible with the inner edge strongly raised, forming a sharp ridge, which sends off a short perpendicular process at the symphysis; the diameter of the mandible at the symphysis does not exceed the diameter of the orbit. The Indian softshell turtle is olive above; the back of the young is vermiculated with fine black lines, but without ocelli; the head with a black longitudinal streak from between the eyes to the nape, intersected by two or three inverted-V-shaped black streaks; lower parts are yellowish.

https://animalia.bio/indian-softshell-turtle