×

UPSC Courses

DNA banner

DAILY NEWS ANALYSIS

  • 01 December, 2020

  • 2 Min Read

Peacock soft-shelled turtle

Peacock soft-shelled turtle

Peacock soft-shelled turtle - vulnerable species have been rescued from a fish market in Assam’s Silchar. Scientific Name: Nilssonia hurum.

Features:
They have a large head, downturned snout with a low and oval carapace of dark olive green to nearly black, sometimes with a yellow rim.

The head and limbs are olive-green; the forehead has dark reticulations and large yellow or orange patches or spots, especially behind the eyes and across the snout.

Males possess relatively longer and thicker tails than females.

Habitat: India, Bangladesh and Pakistan. In India, it is widespread in the northern and central parts of the Indian subcontinent. These are found in rivers, streams, lakes and ponds with mud or sand bottoms.

Threats: The species is heavily exploited for its meat and calipee (the outer cartilaginous rim of the shell). Threats in the River Ganga to the species are those generic for all large river turtles, including reduction of fish stock, as a result of overfishing, pollution, increase in river traffic, and sand mining, among others.

    • Wildlife Protection Act, 1972: Schedule I
    • IUCN Red List Vulnerable
    • CITES: Appendix I

Source: IE


Oceanic Anoxic Event 1a and MASS EXTINCTION

Oceanic Anoxic Event 1a from the Paris Basin (Environment) Paper-3 PMP OAE 1a refers to a period during the Cretaceous Period (145 million years ago and ended 66 million years ago) when Earth's oceans became depleted of oxygen, causing a significant disruption in marine life.  Cause: The event is believed to have been

Viksit Panchayat Karmayogi (Good governance)

Viksit Panchayat Karmayogi (Good governance) Governance GS PAPER-2 PMP Dr. Jitendra Singh launched the ‘Viksit Panchayat Karmayogi’ initiative on Good Governance Day, celebrated to mark the 100th birth anniversary of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee. The initiative, which is part of the broader ‘Prashasan Gaon

Major programmes to control Air Pollution

Major programmes to control Air Pollution National Clean Air Programme? It was launched by the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change (MoEFCC) in January 2019. It is the first-ever effort in the country to frame a national framework for air quality management with a time-bound reduction target. The

Air pollution and Air quality Measures in India

Air pollution and Air quality Measures in India (Environment) GS Paper-3 P-M-P Air pollution may be defined as the presence of any solid, liquid or gaseous substance including noise and radioactive radiation in the atmosphere in such concentration that may be directly and/or indirectly injurious to humans or other l

Geopolitical Significance of Ports

Geopolitical Significance of Ports (IR)  Act as geopolitical assets: Ports enhance the projection of strategic reach, which helps strengthen the country’s control over important sea and energy supply routes.  E.g. Indian Navy’s staging base at Agalega Islands will enable marine patrols

Toppers

Search By Date

Newsletter Subscription
SMS Alerts

Important Links

UPSC GS Mains Crash Course - RAW Prelims Answer Key 2024