Endangered softshell turtle species found in southeastern Turkey

Photos: AA

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Fisherpeople in the Samsat district of Adıyaman found a Euphrates softshell turtle, an endangered species.

Fishing on the shores of the Atatürk Dam's lake in Gölpınar village, they spotted a turtle that they had never seen before. The fisherpeople then informed authorities at Adıyaman University.

Assoc. Prof. Mehmet Zülfü Yıldız from the university's zoology department came to the village and examined the turtle caught in the nets, AA reported.

He concluded that it was a Euphrates softshell turtle from the Trionychidae family. This species only lives in the region around the Euphrates and Tigris rivers, according to the professor.

"These turtles normally lay their eggs in the soft sand on the shores of Tigris and Euphrates but these areas submerge in the water after dams are constructed," he said.

"When they are underwater, they lose their reproductivity. Because, they cannot find the appropriate environment to lay their eggs," the professor added. (AÖ/VK)