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Rafetus euphraticus - 1st on TN


Rafetus euphraticus - 1st on TN
Photo Information
Copyright: Ahmet Karatash (rousettus) Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 1831 W: 82 N: 4005] (12789)
Genre: Animals
Medium: Color
Date Taken: 2009-07-22
Categories: Reptiles
Camera: Canon 40D, Canon EF 100 mm F2.8 Macro USM
Exposure: f/4, 1/125 seconds
More Photo Info: [view]
Photo Version: Original Version, Workshop
Theme(s): RARE or SIGNIFICANT contributions to TN 4 [view contributor(s)]
Date Submitted: 2009-10-08 12:39
Viewed: 364
Favorites: 1 [view]
Points: 50
[Note Guidelines] Photographer's Note
.....***New species for TN and welcome for M.K. Atatür***

Today, I break bird shots and I send a special post for my teacher Emeritus Professor Mehmet Kutsay ATATÜR (matatur) who came back after break of several summer months. Welcome again Mehmet Hocam!
As you remember, this master photographer has a very special shell photographs series and he made us love his style.

Also he is a herpetologist and he worked on Trionyx triunguis - Nil Kaplumbağası [TR], Nile Softshell Turtle [EN] of the family TRIONYCHIDAE (TESTUDINES) for his PhD thesis. Another Softshell Turtle species in Turkiye was subject of PhD dissertation of Professor Ertan Taşkavak who was first PhD student of Dr. Atatür. Today's post is related this second one, Rafetus euphraticus - Fırat Kaplumbağası, Fırat Yumuşak Kabuklu Kaplumbağası [TR], Euphrates Softshell Turtle [EN] which is globally threatened and is listed as Endangered [EN] - A1ac+2c [formerly Critically Endangered (CR)] by IUCN. It is also under protection by Annex II of Bern Convention.
It has a global distribution centred on the Euphrates and Tigris river basins occurring from South East Anatolia in the west through Syria and Iraq to southwestern Iran. It lives semi-aquatic.

Adult and young animals tend to prefer shallow, slow flowing water with a high water temperature, conditions now rare on the Euphrates following completion of the Atatürk and Birecik dams.
The biggest threats to the species are:
• Habitat loss – particularly of suitable warm, shallow water areas for egg-laying, many favoured areas have been lost following dam construction on the Euphrates;
• Water pollution – this is most likely to be a problem on the Tigris where there is nutrient and chemical run-off from farmland, and industrial pollution from factories.

The shot was taken from Fırat [Euphrates] River bank near Nizip (Gaziantep Prov.). It was a juvenile.
Old ones can reach to more than one metre in lenght.
Alternative cropped version (photo) and another shot when it was underwater can be seen on (Workshop). Its long nose is visible on workshop and it uses this snout as a diver snorkel when it is under water.
I searched this species on TN; I didn't see any post for it and I think this is also new species for the sites.
Thanks for visiting.

------REFERENCE------
Çetin, İ.T., 2009: Rafetus euphraticus Fırat Kaplumbağası.
pirate, matatur, flashpoint, maurydv, cicindela, sandpiper2, nasokoun, goldyrs, goatman04, Argus, Noisette, krkguide, uleko, meyerd has marked this note useful
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Discussions
ThreadThread Starter Messages Updated
To meyerd: thanksrousettus 1 10-12 14:22
To matatur: thanksrousettus 2 10-10 11:53
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Critiques [Translate]

  • Great 
  • pirate Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 472 W: 99 N: 624] (3213)
  • [2009-10-08 12:43]

Hi Ahmet
just perfect focus and dof and great pov
tfs
tom

Hello Ahmet,
Very impressive species, which seems to come from the antique times. Colors and expression are very well captured. The focus is very good too, with the eyes. Your teacher and you all made a great job trying to protect this rare species. I'm afraid we will lost many of endangered species on the coming years... TFS,
Catherine

  • Great 
  • Jamesp Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 1351 W: 0 N: 5494] (16522)
  • [2009-10-08 13:17]

Hi Ahmet

Congratulations on this TN first = a very good pov with nice detail.

Best wishes

James

Ahmed'im,
Thank you indeed my friend for this most pleasant surprise and kind dedication. I'm sure our friends in TN will also love this lovely juvenile individual, the adults used to grow more than a meter in the past...One of my doctorate students (Ertan Taşkavak) did his doctorate dissertation on this softshell, he is a full professor now!
Mehmet

Hi Ahmet
It is so nice animal. You've presented it very good. I like point of view and depth of field that shows turtle's "face" (it is so funny).
Nice colours too.
Thanks for sharing
Ania

  • Great 
  • lousat Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 1978 W: 6 N: 5527] (19673)
  • [2009-10-08 14:27]

Hi Ahmet,a first time is always a great satisfaction ...and this strange specie is very very interesting.I like a lot your choice of this point of view,very great sharpness and colors too.Thanks for share.Have a nice day,Luciano

Merhaba Ahmet,
what a fantastic macro shot of this first capture on TN: congratulations; perfect focusing with fine detail, very beautiful natural colours, excellent low POV and composition.
TFS
Best regards
Maurizio

  • Great 
  • volkan Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor [C: 463 W: 10 N: 2] (1076)
  • [2009-10-08 20:32]

selam dostum,
bu ilginç türün harika bir fotosu olmuş..
seni ayrıca tebrik ediyorum bunu bizlerle paylaştığın için..
selamlar..

  • Great 
  • zetu Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 645 W: 15 N: 1580] (6173)
  • [2009-10-08 21:47]

Hello Ahmet
Excellent work...
Regards
Razvan

Hello Ahmet!
My best congratulation because of the 1st picture of this terrapin in TN gallery!
Personally for me this is a very special picture because of the subject (as you know I like reptiles a lot), I have never seen this species in the wild (even if I spent in Syrian Euphrate region about one week this August...).
Very good dedication too.
All the best from sunny Lodz,
Radomir

Hi Ahmet

Thanks for posting this most interesting turtle, cetainly one I have never seen before. I do like the long snout! Great compositin and the shallow DOF works really well as does the low-down POV. Well done.

Chris

hello Ahmet
very good POV a beautiful and separate result and very good photo output,
TFS thanks for sharing
Nasos

Awesome shot, my friend!
Very well seen and framed!
Cheers!
Goldy

Salam Akhi Ahmet,

An excellent capture of this soft shell turtle, a 1st on TN, with beautiful coloration & details.

Great POV & efforts.

TFS & shukran jazeelan!

Alf salam & regards

Umar

  • Great 
  • Argus Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 3813 W: 190 N: 11346] (34981)
  • [2009-10-09 8:11]

Merhaba Ahmet,
A fine capture of this Turtle, T. triungis, the low POW taking the head with superb sharpness and eye contact with the rest of the body as a fine part of the BG.
A first for TN as well!
Tebrikler dostum ve cok tesekkür ederim.
Eline saglik,
Ivan

hello Ahmet
great shot of this beauty
nice details i like the workshop pic. no2
very good picture
great shots
greeting lou

  • Great 
  • PeterZ Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2386 W: 94 N: 5517] (17564)
  • [2009-10-09 11:42]

Hello Ahmet,
Fantastic photo of this turtle taken from a perfect low POV. great sharp focus on the head. Beautiful clear colours and DOF.
Congratulations for being the first one on TN with this animal.
Have a good weekend,
Peter

Merhaba Ahmet, fantastic greature in gret pose, superb first on TN, perfect focus on eye, wonderful POV, very well done, have a good week end, ciao Silvio

Hello Ahmet
congratulations for a new species on TN, i like the nose of this Nile softshell Turtle and also his markings, it's pity that they are endangered
this shot is wonderful and i like the focus on his head the colors and the POV
the two other shots are very good too
Have a great WE
Jacqueline

Merhaba Ahmet Bey,
Olağanüstü çarpıcı bir fotoğraf ve her zaman görülemeyen bir türü paylaştığınız için çok teşekkürler. Saygılar, selamlar...ilker

Selamlar hocam,
mükemmel bir tür ve harika bir kare olmuş.
elinize sağlık.

  • Great 
  • uleko Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2991 W: 162 N: 949] (2787)
  • [2009-10-11 3:42]

Hello Ahmet,
Congratulations on capturing this very fine little Turtle and from a lovely point of view! Great focus on the eye and the little nose and the markings are beautiful. Hopefully its protection will help towards a recovery.
TFS and best wishes, Ulla

Hi Neighbour,
we might be neighbours with our photographs but I feel definitely inferiour when it comes to compare our photographs. This is an extremely rare and precious glimpse at the special fauna that Firat river holds. I did not think that I would ever see this Rafetus softshell turtle. Not only do you present it but you produced this very nice head shot.Unique, the long nose! In Texas years ago I caught by hand a good sized Triony spiniferus that was crossing a road and kept it in the garden pond. To think that this turtle family is so widely distributed on Earth...
Thank you very much Ahmet for your extraordinary contribution to TN.
My best regards from cold-again Switzerland.
Dietrich

Hello Ahmet!
Very nice picture of this young Nile Soft-shelled Turtle!
I like the pov and the "shady" light effect.
Maybe you would like to add it in my webpage: http://www.herpetofauna.gr/index.php?module=cats&page=read&id=74&sid=72
Tfs
Ilias

Hi Ahmet,
Well this is one of the reasons I always enjoyed Treknature and that is to be able to see the incredible diversity that it has to offer. Softshells are some of the most interesting in the chelonian group and they display very unique attributes that are very interesting. Thank you for sharing this well takened image.
Paul :)

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