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The northern river terrapin (''Batagur baska''), is a species of riverine turtle. It is one of the most critically endangered turtle species according to a 2000 assessment by the IUCN. ==Description/Identification== Physical Structure: One of Asia's largest freshwater and brackish turtles. Carapace moderately depressed, with a vertebral keel in the young, which keel disappears in the adult; nuchal broader than long; first vertebral as broad in front as behind, or a little broader; vertebrals 2 to 4 subequal, much broader than long in the young, nearly as long as broad and as broad as the costals in the adult, the postero-lateral border of the third vertebral strongly concave. Plastron large, strongly angulate laterally in the young, convex in the adult, truncate anteriorly, angularly notched posteriorly; the width of the bridge exceeds the length of the posterior lobe; the longest median suture is that between the abdominals, the shortest that between the gulars, the latter never more than half that between the humerals; inguinal large, axillary smaller. Head rather small; snout pointed, produced, directed upwards; jaws with denticulated edge, upper feebly notched mesially; the width of the lower jaw at the symphysis nearly equals the diameter of the orbit. Limbs with transversely enlarged, band-like scales. Color Pattern: Normally upper surface of shell (carapace) and soft parts olive-brown, lower surface (plastron) yellowish.〔Boulenger, G.A.(1890) Fauna of British India. Reptilia and Batrachia.〕 Males in breeding coloration as having the head and ventral part of the neck black, with the coloration of the dorsal portion of the neck to its base rich crimson or bright red-orange and the whole of the forelimbs as brilliant rosy carmine or rusty to light orange. Hind parts dull reddish purple.〔http://www.iucn-tftsg.org/wp-content/uploads/file/Accounts crm_5_037_baska_v1_2009.pdf〕 During the breeding season, the color of the pupils of a female brown whereas the pupils in the males become yellowish-white. Their neck and head have a dark brown pigmentation and the base of the neck and forelimbs have a reddish pigmentation. This reddish pigmentation makes the Sunderban’s river terrapins a unique species.〔http://www.newindianexpress.com/education/student/article594045.ece〕 Length (carapace): Maximum:60 cm.and Common:40 cm. Maximum published weight: 18 kg.〔http://www.turtlesurvival.org/component/taxonomy/term/summary/36/37#.Vejy931y5WE〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Northern river terrapin」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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