The Indian flapshell turtle is a soft-shell turtle found in South Asia, including Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bangladesh and Myanmar. The name flapshell comes from flaps of skin located on the plastron (lower shell) which cover the limbs when they retract into the shell. The nose is short and stout and the claws are large and heavy.
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| Indian flapshell turtle in Bundala NP. |
We saw adults in Bundala National Park basking on a rock in a slow moving stream.
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| Close-up of head. |
We saw a youngster in a mudhole in a road in Yala National Park, with what appeared to be a bum leg, and it will almost surely be crushed by a safari vehicle going through the mudhole.
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| Indian flapshell turtle in Yala NP. |
That one in the mud was heartbreaking. Cute little feller.
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