Two
subspecies occurs in the island
1)
Melanochelys trijuga parkeri (Parker’s Black
Turtle) – Larger than Spotted Black turtle with more dark shell and uniform
olive brown head (or sometime spotted with orange).
It is restricted to Northern areas of the country.
2)
Melanochelys trijuga thermalis (Spotted Black
Turtle) – Head spotted with red orange or pink. Widespread in lowland wet and
dry zones up to elevation of about 4200ft a.s.l.
Both subspecies are omnivorous and act as a
scavenger. It inhabits still water bodies
with aquatic vegetations and spend many hours basking during the day time and
forages at night.
