Vadodara: A rare sight Tortoise devouring a dead dog was seen in Bhukhi kaans, a rivulet that falls into the Vishwamitri river. Even though Indian flap shell turtles are omnivores, known to eat fish, frogs and aquatic plants, this was the first time that sightings of them had been recorded.
“Video showing a turtle biting and eating a dog carcass has decoded the food chain of the river. Never before have turtles been seen eating the carcass of such a large animal,” said Ranjit Deokar, Assistant Professor, Department of Zoology, MS University.
The video was shot on Wednesday afternoon by Dr PS Nagar, associate professor in the Department of Botany at MSU, who forwarded it to Deokar. Nagar watched the action from behind the science faculty. MSU Campus, “The Vishwamitri river is polluted and does not have a good fish population. Turtles do not have a large prey base, eventually resorting to scavenging. Given that the river is home to a good number of turtles, it seems that they have been surviving by scavenging carcasses,” Deokar said.
Not many people know that apart from being home to a large number of crocodiles, Vishwamitri is also home to several turtles, which are often seen swimming alongside the deadly reptiles in the river. Turtles are mostly seen in stagnant river water, ponds, lakes or swamps as they spend most of their time underwater, living and nesting in marshy areas.
“Video showing a turtle biting and eating a dog carcass has decoded the food chain of the river. Never before have turtles been seen eating the carcass of such a large animal,” said Ranjit Deokar, Assistant Professor, Department of Zoology, MS University.
The video was shot on Wednesday afternoon by Dr PS Nagar, associate professor in the Department of Botany at MSU, who forwarded it to Deokar. Nagar watched the action from behind the science faculty. MSU Campus, “The Vishwamitri river is polluted and does not have a good fish population. Turtles do not have a large prey base, eventually resorting to scavenging. Given that the river is home to a good number of turtles, it seems that they have been surviving by scavenging carcasses,” Deokar said.
Not many people know that apart from being home to a large number of crocodiles, Vishwamitri is also home to several turtles, which are often seen swimming alongside the deadly reptiles in the river. Turtles are mostly seen in stagnant river water, ponds, lakes or swamps as they spend most of their time underwater, living and nesting in marshy areas.