Saving the ‘stars’

The Hindu : Page 14

Syllabus : Environment

Indian Star Tortoises

•   Scientific Name: Geochelone elegans
•  IUCN Status: Listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List due to habitat loss, poaching for pet trade, and illegal trafficking.
•   Appearance: Small to medium-sized tortoise with a distinctive star-shaped pattern on its carapace.
•   Distribution: Found in India, primarily in dry and arid regions of southern and western India.
•   Habitat: Found in Central and Southern India, West Pakistan, and Sri Lanka.

o  Typically resides in dry, open habitats such as scrub forests, grasslands, and rocky outcroppings

•   Diet: Herbivorous, feeding on various plant materials including grasses, leaves, and fruits.
• Behaviour: Primarily terrestrial but can swim and may soak in water bodies to regulate body temperature.
•   Reproduction: Females lay small clutches of eggs, typically in sandy or loamy soil, with incubation lasting several months.
•  Protection Status  

o  IUCN Red List: Vulnerable

o  Wild Life Protection Act 1972: Schedule I

o  CITES: Appendix I

•  Threats        

o  Habitat fragmentation due to urbanization and agricultural practices

o  Loss of genetic diversity due to hybridization

o  90% of trade occurs in the international pet market, according to the Wildlife Crime Control Bureau

PYQ UPSC Prelims : (2019)

Ques: Consider the following statements:

1.    Some species of turtles are herbivores.

2.    Some species of fish are herbivores.

3.    Some species of marine mammals are herbivores.

4.    Some species of snakes are viviparous

Which of the statements given above are correct?

(a)  1 and 3 only

(b) 2, 3 and 4 only

(c)  2 and 4 only

(d) 1, 2, 3 and 4

Ans : d)