Indian Black Turtles

From my visit to Amirthi zoological park last month, I took time to watch and shoot the Indian black turtles or pond turtles left in a partial glass tank. I think I last saw live turtles and tortoises in Madras Crocodile Bank, a decade back, but I continue to see these in images from blogs I follow inspired me not to miss shooting these medium-sized freshwater turtle found in South Asia.

Though it named black turtle, the colour of its upper shell or carapace can vary from reddish to dark brown and black with yellow streaks running along its length. The underside is uniformly brown and the turtle’s face may have yellow or orange marks and spots, with color varying between subspecies.

... quiet listeners

The black turtle still appears to be common in India and Nepal is classified as threatened in Bangladesh and Myanmar.