A team of scientists was on an expedition on a remote Indonesian island in 2023 when it met a fisher who had caught something interesting. In between Sumatra and Borneo, the local had pulled up a trap to find a critically endangered Malaysian giant turtle — which became the “first official record” of the species, per the Miami Herald. The team recorded the sighting in a study published in the Check List journal in September.
According to the researchers, the Malaysian giant turtle can reach up to 31 inches long, making it “the largest freshwater turtle in Southeast Asia.” They live in shallow bodies of water, such as swamp-forest habitats and streams.
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The turtle found was 22 inches long with claws on its limbs, a blackish-brown top, and a yellowish bottom. It also had smooth skin on its head.
Malaysian giant turtles are classified as critically endangered because of their “slow reproductive cycle” and are “often caught as bycatch in commercial and artisanal fisheries,” per the study. Additionally, their habitats have been destroyed by pollution, deforestation, mining, aquaculture, and commercial industries.
The researchers examined the turtle and took pictures, then released it where it had been caught.
There was another sighting of a Malaysian giant turtle in 2020, but it’s unverified. However, it suggests there could be multiple populations. The researchers want to conduct further surveys to be sure.
Sightings of endangered species are crucial because biodiversity is vital for everyone. According to The Royal Society, you can’t have a healthy ecosystem without a range of animals, and ecosystems are crucial to the food we eat and the air we breathe.
Other surveys have shown great discoveries, too. In India, an endangered dhole, an Asiatic wild dog, was photographed by a professor.
Trail cameras have also been successfully used to monitor rare species. For example, the Wildlife Information and Nature Guide Society set up cameras to track the gray wolf in Madhaiganj but instead made the first sighting of the fishing cat in West Burdwan. The wild cat is West Bengal’s state animal.
To find out how to protect the animals in your area, check out local volunteer organizations.
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