Slipsilf Turtles
An adorable species that takes more than a century to grow larger than the size of an adults hand. Once so numerous they had to be relocated and hunted to keep their population in check the Slipsilf turtle is now an endangered species with less than three thousand of them recorded alive and more than half of those in captivity.
Few of the turtles still alive within their natural environment are healthy enough to produce large clutches of viable offspring. Even for those few who do manage to produce a clutch the young are poorly equipped to deal with newly hostile and toxic waters of the The Niphama.
Basic Information
Anatomy
The Slipsilf turtle has four primary limbs used for locomotion, a short tail and a rounded head. Their shells are naturally lined in brightly colored bands. Like most turtles they have the ability to retract their limbs into their shell for protection.
Ecology and Habitats
The area in which Slipsilf turtles live are a small stretch of the Niphama which has been downstream of more than twenty chemical spills over the years. The resulting damage to their habitat cannot be overstated. The flora, fauna and water levels have all changed dramatically over the last few decades. Chemical spills have mutated and irreparably altered the food chains and biomes once native to the Slipsilf turtles.
Conservation Status
An endangered species that are found within a narrow length of the Niphama. Attempts at population rehabilitation through captive breeding programs have so far been unsuccessful with over an eighty seven percent loss of viable eggs. The conditions for optimal gestation of the eggs is yet unknown.
It is not legal to hunt or intentionally kill a Slipsilf turtle in their natural environment. Although technically illegal to kill them at all, accidental deaths have become so common place that the crime is all but ignored unless the turtles is being consumed.
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