Nature Decided To Mimic Velveeta With This Turtle's Rare Disorder
A farmer in Odisha’s Balasore district got an unexpected surprise while working in his field, and it was bright yellow. The unusual turtle he found in Sujanpur quickly drew attention, especially once officials confirmed it was a rare albino flapshell turtle.
After the farmer brought the turtle home and handed it over to forest officials, conservation experts were contacted and the sighting started making the rounds online. Its neon color, which looks a lot like melted cheese, helped turn a rare wildlife discovery into a viral moment.
Even more surprising, the turtle is estimated to be about two years old. That makes the find even rarer, and the photos are hard to forget.
After going viral, folks online started comparing this turtle to the same sort of neon orange as melted cheese.
Yummm.
The likeness is definitely there.
The Indian flapshell turtle (Lissemys punctata) is a freshwater species of turtle found in South Asia.
Indian flapshell turtles are widespread and fairly common in the South Asian provinces. They are known as an evolutionary link between softshell and hardshell aquatic turtles.
What is albinism?
“It is a congenital disorder characterized by complete or partial absence of tyrosine pigment,” Siddhartha Pati explained.
“Also, sometimes a mutation takes place in the gene sequence, or there is a deficiency of tyrosine,” he continued.
This also brings to mind the woman who realized the white roadside “rock” was an albino porcupine.
Just a cute little dollop of nacho cheese in a bucket.
The Indian flapshell turtle's diet consists of frogs, shrimp, snails, aquatic vegetation, plant leaves, flowers, fruits, grasses, and seeds. This range of food means it is an omnivorous creature.
In stark contrast, regular flapshell turtles look much different than their albino relative.
The shell of the Indian flapshell turtle is believed to have many medicinal uses and is ground into powder to make traditional medicines. However, there is no scientific proof of such medicinal benefits.
Likely, this is a myth boasted by smugglers to sell their shells, which is illegal.
You can check out a video of this neat turtle here!
Thankfully, this brightly colored turtle was released safely back into nature.
This flapshell turtle lives in other South Asian countries like Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bangladesh, and Myanmar. Although their habitat extends far, their conservation status is currently categorized as Vulnerable.
A vulnerable species is one that has been categorized by the International Union for Conservation of Nature as threatened with extinction unless the circumstances that are threatening its survival and reproduction improve. In this case, their shells being used for medicinal purposes is causing harm to their population.
Hopefully, things will turn around for them soon, and maybe this Nacho Cheese Turtle can find a lovely mate to create more striking offspring.
Want more neon surprises, see rare albino turtles with skin like fire.
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