India GOGanges softshell turtle: the big leathery river turtle of the Yamuna and Ganga
कछुआ
The Ganges softshell turtle is a big river turtle with a smooth olive shell of leathery skin instead of horny plates, a shell that can reach 94 cm, and a short tube of a snout it pushes above the water to breathe. It lives in the Ganga, Yamuna, Indus, Brahmaputra, Narmada and Mahanadi basins and is listed as Endangered. At Mathura it survives partly because turtles at the Yamuna ghats are fed, not taken, but a sighting from the steps is a matter of luck.
A large river turtle with a smooth olive shell of leathery skin instead of horny plates and a short tube-like snout. It grows to nearly a metre of shell and is listed as Endangered.
👀 How to recognise it
What shows above water is a small tube-shaped nose and a pair of eyes set forward on the head, holding still for a moment before sinking. On a sandbar the whole animal looks like a flat olive dish.
Protection
Protected under the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972.
Where to see it
Mathura
Turtles are fed at the Yamuna ghats rather than taken, and the species survives in the Braj stretch of the river largely for that reason. Records from Mathura district come from quieter reaches of the Yamuna rather than from the ghat steps themselves, so a sighting from the ghat is a matter of luck and patience.
Vishram Ghat · Gokul Barrage (Mathura Barrage)
How to recognise it
Most of the time all you see is a nose. The turtle lies on the bottom and comes up to breathe: a small tube-shaped snout and a pair of eyes set far forward on the head break the surface, hold still for a moment and sink again. Watch slack, quiet water rather than the current.
Out of the water, on a sandbar, the whole animal looks like a flat olive dish. The shell has no scutes: it is covered in skin, smooth in adults and finely lined with black in the young. Size separates it from the commoner Indian flapshell turtle, which reaches at most about 37 cm and has a higher, domed back with pale spots on the head. The Ganges softshell can approach a metre of shell.
It is mainly a hunter and scavenger, taking fish, frogs and carrion, along with some water plants.
Where to look for it in Mathura
Turtles at the Yamuna ghats are fed rather than taken, and the species holds on in the Braj stretch of the river largely for that reason. Records from Mathura district come from the quieter reaches, though, not from the ghat steps. It can surface all year, most of all on warm, still days.
Vishram Ghat
Early in the morning, before Vishram Ghat fills, watch the slack water beyond the moored boats. A sighting here is luck and patience; the other ghats are on the Mathura ghats page.
Gokul Barrage
The calmer water by the Gokul (Mathura) Barrage is another place where the turtle is recorded, again only with luck.
Protection and threats
The IUCN has listed the species as Endangered since its 2021 assessment. In India it is in Schedule I of the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972, and keeping one is an offence. Freshwater turtles in South Asia are caught for meat and traded illegally, and this species is also on Appendix I of CITES, which bans international commercial trade.
On the river, the best help is the simplest: watch from the steps and leave the turtle in the water.
Sacred ponds and local names
In Hindi any turtle is kachhua; around Mathura this one is called sundari kachhua, the beautiful turtle. Softshell turtles are kept in temple ponds in Odisha, where they are considered sacred. At the Braj ghats, too, turtles are fed rather than caught.
❓ FAQ
Is the Ganges softshell turtle endangered?
Yes. The IUCN lists it as Endangered (2021 assessment), and in India it is protected under Schedule I of the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972.
How big does the Ganges softshell turtle get?
Its shell can reach 94 cm, close to a metre.
What is the Ganges softshell turtle called in Hindi?
Kachhua, the general word for turtle; around Mathura it is also called sundari kachhua.
Can I see a softshell turtle at Mathura?
Sometimes, with luck: watch quiet water beyond the boats at Vishram Ghat early in the morning, or near the Gokul Barrage.
What does it eat?
Mostly fish, frogs and carrion, with some aquatic plants.