The black Softshell Turtle or Bostami Turtle. is a species of freshwater turtle found in India (Assam) and Bangladesh (Chittagong and Sylhet). Which is currently extinct in the wild.
Previously declared extinct by the International Union for Conservation of Nature in 2002, these turtles were found still to exist in a temple's pond called the Hayagriva Madhava Temple located in Assam, India.
Through conservation methods and protection of the species, some of these turtles can be found today throughout the wild.
Originally native to the lower Brahmaputra River (Tibet, India, Bangladesh), the only population that is ever reliably known consists of a small number of species in a man-made pond which is part of the Bayazid Bostami shrine at Chittagong (Bangladesh), where they are dependent on humans for survival.
In 2004, 408 turtles were found in the pond of the Bayazid Bastami shrine. 90 more turtles were hatched in the pond in 2007, 74 in 2008, 96 in 2009, 28 in 2010, 45 in 2012, and 40 in 2014.
This extinction has been caused by human intervention, specifically the migration of people into the habitat and the contamination of water and land following this movement.
Black Softshell Turtle Facts-
Science Name: Nilssonia nigricans
Size: Width 38-78cm, Length 33-71cm.
Weight: 55 kg
Lifespan: approximately 150 years old
Locations: India, Bangladesh.
Conservation status: Extinct in the Wild (EW)
