Indian tent turtle facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Indian tent turtle |
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| P. t. tentoria Chambal River, Uttar Pradesh, India |
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| Conservation status | |
Scientific classification  |
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| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Testudines |
| Suborder: | Cryptodira |
| Family: | Geoemydidae |
| Genus: | Pangshura |
| Species: |
P. tentoria
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| Binomial name | |
| Pangshura tentoria (Gray, 1834)
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The Indian tent turtle (scientific name: Pangshura tentoria) is a cool type of turtle. It belongs to a family of turtles called Geoemydidae. You can find these turtles living in countries like India, Nepal, and Bangladesh.
Contents
What Does It Look Like?
The Indian tent turtle is a fairly small turtle. Its shell, called a carapace, can grow up to about 27 centimeters (10.6 inches) long. That's about the length of a standard ruler!
Types of Indian Tent Turtles
Just like there are different breeds of dogs, there are different types of Indian tent turtles. These are called subspecies. There are three main subspecies of the Indian tent turtle:
- Pangshura tentoria tentoria (first described by Gray in 1834)
- Pangshura tentoria circumdata (first described by Mertens in 1969)
- Pangshura tentoria flaviventer (first described by Günther in 1864)
Where Do They Live?
Indian tent turtles live in Peninsular India, Nepal, and Bangladesh. They usually live in places that are less than 80 meters (about 262 feet) above sea level.
Each subspecies lives in slightly different areas:
- P. t. tentoria lives only in India, in the areas around the Mahanadi and Godavari rivers.
- P. t. circumdata is found in the upper and central parts of the Ganges river in India and southern Nepal.
- P. t. flaviventer lives in the lower Ganges river area, including Bangladesh, India, and southern Nepal.
Their Home and Food
Indian tent turtles mostly live in rivers, both small and large ones. They love to warm up in the sun by basking on rocks and tree branches that stick out of the water.
When it comes to food, female turtles mostly eat plants. But male turtles and younger turtles eat more meat, like insects or small fish.
Reproduction
Indian tent turtles lay eggs. This means they are oviparous.
 | Bessie Coleman |
 | Spann Watson |
 | Jill E. Brown |
 | Sherman W. White |
