Northern River Terrapin :: Batagur baska

Bad at Goodbyes :: Episode 071

On today’s show we learn about the Northern River Terrapin, a critically endangered reptile native to South Asia, in the Sundarbans, in the Ganges River Delta in India and Bangladesh. Its scientific name is Batagur baska and it was first described in 1830.

1. (00:05) Intro
2. (02:05) Species Information
3. (26:50) Citations
4. (28:55) Music
5. (35:39) Pledge

For more information about Northern River Terrapin conservation please see the People’s Trust for Endangered Species at https://ptes.org/grants/worldwide-projects/northern-river-terrapins/

Research for today’s show was compiled from:

1. Alam, Md. Shafiul, Nasrin Sultana Bristy, Mohammad Firoj Jaman, A. S. M. Morshed, Md. Shariar Rahman, Ebtesamul Haque Mim, and S. M. Mahbubul Alam. 2021. "Feeding Ecology and Growth Performance of the Critically Endangered Batagur baska in Captivity." Herpetological Conservation and Biology 16 (2): 452–460. – https://www.herpconbio.org/contents_vol16_issue2.html
2. Balan Raveendran, A., Nath, A., Ahmad, A., Das, A. (2025). Conservation Strategies for Northern River Terrapin Batagur baska: Habitat Assessment and Reintroduction prospects. Global Ecology and Conservation. 62. e03763. – https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gecco.2025.e03763
3. Davenport, John, Tat Meng Wong, and John East. 1992. "Feeding and digestion in the omnivorous estuarine turtle Batagur baska (Gray)." Herpetological Journal 2 (4): 133–139 – https://www.thebhs.org/publications/the-herpetological-journal/volume-2-number-4-october-1992/1298-06-feeding-and-digestion-in-the-omnivorous-estuarine-turtle-batagur-baska-gray
4. Dedieu, A., Scherzer, N., Paumann T., Morshed A.G.J., Weissenbacher A., Walzer C., and Preininger, D. "Camera Traps Provide First Insights into the Nesting Behavior of the Critically Endangered Northern River Terrapin (Batagur baska)," Chelonian Conservation and Biology 22(1), 46-57, (14 March 2023). – https://doi.org/10.2744/CCB-1543.1
5. Jorgewich-Cohen, G., Wheatley, M., Gaspar, L., Praschag, P., Lubberink, N., Ming, K., Rodriguez, N. and Ferrara, C. (2024), Prehatch Calls and Coordinated Birth in Turtles. Ecology and Evolution, 14: e70410. – https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.70410
6. Kumar, A., Sharma, A., Negi, N. et al. Unveiling the contemporary genetic diversity and population demography of the critically endangered northern river terrapin (Batagur baska) in the sundarbans. Molecular Biology Reports 53, 48 (2026). – https://doi.org/10.1007/s11033-025-11208-5
7. Mim, Ebtisamul Zannat, Mohammad Firoj Jaman, AGJ Morshed, Md Mahabub Alam, and Nasrin Akter Bristy. 2022. “Breeding Biology of Northern River Terrapin Batagur Baska in Captivity in Bangladesh”. Dhaka University Journal of Biological Sciences 31(1):67-78. – https://doi.org/10.3329/dujbs.v31i1.57917
8. Nawani, S., Balan Raveendran, A., Bashir, A., Kolipakam, V., Das, A., Mondol, S. (2025). Assessment of critically endangered Northern River Terrapin (Batagur baska) phylogeny through next-generation sequencing-based mitogenome analyses. bioRxiv 2025.02.03.636247. – https://doi.org/10.1101/2025.02.03.636247
9. People’s Trust for Endangered Species – https://ptes.org/grants/worldwide-projects/northern-river-terrapins/
10. Praschag, P. & Singh, S. 2019. Batagur baska. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2019: e.T97358453A2788691. – https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2019-1.RLTS.T97358453A2788691.en
11. Spitzweg, C., Praschag, P., DiRuzzo, S., Fritz, U. (2018). Conservation genetics of the northern river terrapin (Batagur baska) breeding project using a microsatellite marker system. Salamandra, 54(1), 63–70. – http://www.salamandra-journal.com/index.php/contents/2018-vol-54?category[0]=95
12. Sundarban Tiger Reserve. (2023). Annual Report 2022–23. Directorate of Forests, Government of West Bengal. – https://sundarbantigerreserve.org/web/pdf/an_report/2022_23_annual_report.pdf
13. Weissenbacher, A., Preininger, D., Ghosh, R., Morshed, A.G.J. and Praschag, P. (2015), Vienna Zoo & Bangladesh: Northern River Terrapin Conservation. International Zoo Yearbook. 49: 31-41. – https://doi.org/10.1111/izy.12070
14. Wikipedia - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northern_river_terrapin

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A note on accuracy: I strive for it! These episodes are well-researched and built from scholarly sources, hoping to provide an informed and accurate portrait of these species. That said, I’m a musician! I am not an academic and have limited scientific background. I may get things wrong! If you are using this podcast for scholarship of any kind, please see the cited sources and double-check all information.