The Senegal flapshell turtle (''Cyclanorbis senegalensis'') is a species of turtle in the

subfamily In biological classification, a subfamily (Latin: ', plural ') is an auxiliary (intermediate) taxonomic rank, next below family but more inclusive than genus. Standard nomenclature rules end subfamily botanical names with "-oideae", and zoologi ...

Cyclanorbinae Cyclanorbinae, also known commonly as the flapshell turtles, is a subfamily of softshell turtles in the family Trionychidae. The subfamily is native to Africa and Asia. Taxonomy Morphological evidence supports Cyclanorbinae being the sister ...

of the family Trionychidae. The species, which is one of two species of softshell turtles in the genus ''Cyclanorbis'', is endemic to Africa.

Geographic range

''C. senegalensis'' is found in Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central African Republic,

Chad Chad (; ar, تشاد , ; french: Tchad, ), officially the Republic of Chad, '; ) is a landlocked country at the crossroads of North and Central Africa. It is bordered by Libya to the north, Sudan to the east, the Central African Republic ...

Ivory Coast Ivory Coast, also known as Côte d'Ivoire, officially the Republic of Côte d'Ivoire, is a country on the southern coast of West Africa. Its capital is Yamoussoukro, in the centre of the country, while its largest city and economic centre is ...

, Ethiopia,

Gambia The Gambia,, ff, Gammbi, ar, غامبيا officially the Republic of The Gambia, is a country in West Africa. It is the smallest country within mainland AfricaHoare, Ben. (2002) ''The Kingfisher A-Z Encyclopedia'', Kingfisher Publicatio ...

, Ghana, Guinea-Bissau,

Liberia Liberia (), officially the Republic of Liberia, is a country on the West African coast. It is bordered by Sierra Leone to Liberia–Sierra Leone border, its northwest, Guinea to its north, Ivory Coast to its east, and the Atlantic Ocean ...

, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, South Sudan,

Sudan Sudan ( or ; ar, السودان, as-Sūdān, officially the Republic of the Sudan ( ar, جمهورية السودان, link=no, Jumhūriyyat as-Sūdān), is a country in Northeast Africa. It shares borders with the Central African Republic t ...

, and Togo.

Habitat

The preferred natural habitats of ''C. senegalensis'' are freshwater

wetlands A wetland is a distinct ecosystem that is flooded or saturated by water, either permanently (for years or decades) or seasonally (for weeks or months). Flooding results in oxygen-free (anoxic) processes prevailing, especially in the soils. The ...

and savanna.

Description

''C. senegalensis'' may attain a straight-line

carapace A carapace is a Dorsum (biology), dorsal (upper) section of the exoskeleton or shell in a number of animal groups, including arthropods, such as crustaceans and arachnids, as well as vertebrates, such as turtles and tortoises. In turtles and tor ...

length of . The head is olive, with numerous white dots. The carapace is olive, either uniform or with small dark blotches. Hatchlings have longitudinal rows of small tubercles on the carapace. The plastron is yellowish, clouded with brown. The plastral callosities are finely granular. Boulenger GA (1889). ''Catalogue of the Chelonians, Rhynchocephalians, and Crocodiles in the British Museum (Natural History). New Edition''. London: Trustees of the British Museum (Natural History). (Taylor and Francis, printers). x + 311 pp. + Plates I–VI. (''Cyclanorbis senegalensis'', new combination, pp. 271-272).

Diet

''C. senegalensis''

preys Predation is a biological interaction where one organism, the predator, kills and eats another organism, its prey. It is one of a family of common feeding behaviours that includes parasitism and micropredation (which usually do not kill th ...

upon tadpoles, other amphibians, and fishes. Large adults of ''C. senegalensis'' have jaws strong enough to also eat freshwater clams and snails.

References

External links