Turtles and Tortoises
38 Results
Impressed Tortoise: Facts, Range, Threats
All you need to know about this rare, land-dwelling reptile
Infographic
Don't Be Hard on the Softshell Turtle
Cartoons and illustrations on wildlife, environment and conservation
Green Humour
Sea Turtles of India
Meet five sea turtles that show up along the coasts of the Indian subcontinent
Explainer
Crowned River Turtle: Facts, Sexual Dimorphism, Nesting
All you need to know this endangered freshwater turtle
Infographic
Cantor's Giant Softshell Turtle: Habitat, Breeding, Conservation Efforts
All you need to know about the frog-faced softshell freshwater turtle
Infographic
Olive Ridleys: When One in a Thousand Survives
The life of an olive ridley sea turtle is fraught with peril. Even before they hatch, they face predators. Once hatchlings emerge, they continue to encounter a never-ending series of human-created dangers and natural obstacles
Photo Story
Olive Ridley Turtles Threatened by Upcoming Port in Karnataka
An upcoming port and the corresponding road and railway network could destroy a turtle nesting region in Honnavar in Uttara Kannada district
Conservation
Turtles and Tortoises: What’s the Difference?
They may belong to the same order, but there's a lot that sets them apart. Here's a quick guide
Explainer
Three Lions Take on a Lone Turtle. Will it Survive?
Every visit to Gir Wildlife Sanctuary throws up surprises. This time it was a chance sighting of three subadult Asiatic Lions, trying to feast on a seemingly helpless but extremely hardy Indian Flapshell Turtle
Wild Vault
Galathea Bay: Will the World's Largest Sea Turtle Return to Nest in India?
Isolated from the mainland, the world’s largest turtles, the leatherbacks have nested along Galathea bay's pristine coast for millions of years. However, in January 2021 the protected status of the sanctuary was canceled for the construction of a transshipment port. If the development of the port goes through, will the turtles return?
Video
Leatherback Sea Turtles: Giants of Andaman and Nicobar Islands
Recent monitoring and scientific data from the Andaman and Nicobar Islands on these remarkable reptiles give us hope and must deepen our resolve to continue to protect this very critical habitat
Conservation
The Conservation Paradox: Missing the Meadows for the Green Turtles
Seagrass ecosystems support marine organisms which use the meadows as foraging and breeding habitats. Green sea turtles have depleted some of these habitats, creating a conservation dilemma
Conservation
Leatherback Turtle: Facts, Habitat, Migration
All you need to know about the largest turtle in the world
Infographic
Green Sea Turtle: Facts, Habitat, Ocean Life
All you need to know about the only herbivorous sea turtle
Infographic
Written in the Stars: A Night with the Leatherback Turtle
When the sun sets along Great Nicobar’s Galathea coast, the world’s largest turtle emerges from the waters to build a nest on its silver shore
Photo Story
Galathea: A Threatened Paradise at the Edge of the World
Far away from all civilisation, at the southernmost tip of Indian territory, leatherback turtles have a huge nesting site. Will plans for a new port transform this pristine landscape forever?
Habitat
Vanishing Act: The Slow Decline of Cantor’s Giant Softshell Turtle
The turtle has been shrouded in mystery for too long — it is rarely spotted, we know little about its ecology, except that its numbers are declining across its range
Species
A Hidden Life: The Impressed Tortoise in Central Arunachal Pradesh
When a rare, land-dwelling tortoise materialises out of nowhere in a small area of the Northeast, there is cause for celebration and conservation
Species
Wildlife Puzzle: Olive Ridley Turtle
Put together this jigsaw to see an olive ridley turtle take a dip in Odisha
Interactive
Indian Flapshell Turtle: Facts, Lifespan, and Illegal Trade
All you need to know about this pond predator
Infographic
Predator in the Pond: Indian Flapshell Turtle
Though these small turtles are camouflaged and instinctively hide on the edges of waterbodies to ambush their prey, they face a perilous future
Species
Olive Ridley Turtle: Facts, Diet, and Nesting
All you need to know about the most abundant sea turtles in the world
Infographic
Sea Turtles: Ancient Mariners of the Indian Ocean
These magnificent air-breathing reptiles have lived on earth for millions of years. Four of the seven known species of sea turtles nest in significant numbers on the Indian coastline and its outlying islands
Photo Story
Lost and Found: A Quest to Revive the Rare Batagur Baska
How a breeding programme in the Sundarbans is bringing the critically endangered batagur baska back from the brink of extinction
Video
Northern River Terrapin: Habitat, Conservation, Lifespan
All you need to know about this four-toed terrapin
Infographic
Kartik Shanker: Researcher, Ecologist, Storyteller
Kartik Shanker juggles many roles — ecologist, children’s writer, founder of Dakshin Foundation, editor of a conservation magazine — all rooted firmly in decades of field research
Hero
Ecotourism, and the Olive Ridley Turtles of Dapoli
In coastal Maharashtra, conservationists navigate the impacts of beach-loving travellers on this vulnerable reptile
Conservation
Bringing Freshwater Turtles out of their Shells and into the Spotlight
With more than 50 per cent of freshwater turtles threatened with extinction, Freshwater Turtles and Tortoises of India, a collective, is drawing attention to these lesser studied species
Conservation
Crackdown on Illegal Wildlife Trade Could Prevent the Next Pandemic
Investigations show that meat of protected turtle species is sold in several markets in India. Such ‘wet markets’ present an acute health hazard and need to be looked into urgently in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic
Conservation
Turning the Tide: The Batagur Baska and the Race Against Extinction
How a conservationist and his team in the Sundarbans brought the batagur, one of the most endangered turtle species in the world, back from the brink
Conservation
Miracle on a Beach: A Night with the Ancients
The arribada or the mass nesting of olive Ridleys is nothing short of magic. Year after year, the turtles return to the land, to the very beach they were born in, to lay eggs
Species
A Half Century of Sea Turtle Conservation
Contrary to popular belief, sea turtles are doing better than they have in decades, and we may need to rethink how to conserve them
Column
Arribada: The Mystery of the Olive Ridley Turtle Migration
How do these gentle sea creatures navigate thousands of kilometres to find the beach where they were born?
Wild Vault
The Sea Turtle’s Annual Reunion
Cartoons and illustrations on wildlife, environment, and conservation
Green Humour
Assam Roofed Turtle: Facts, Habitat, Threats
Everything you need to know about Assam's threatened turtle
Infographic
A Green Turtle takes the Bottle Cap Challenge
Cartoons and illustrations on wildlife, environment, and conservation
Green Humour
A Wild Life: Rauf Ali’s Forest Adventures
Following leatherback sea turtles, tree shrews, and crab-eating macaques — in Running Away From Elephants readers get a rare glimpse into celebrated wildlife biologist Rauf Ali’s wild adventures
Book
How’s Your Sense of Direction?
Cartoons and illustrations on wildlife, environment, and conservation
Green Humour