Bibliotheca Herpetologica 18(9)

Rouot, S. 2024. Jagannathan “Viji” Vijaya and the Forest Cane Turtle (Vijayachelys silvatica, Henderson 1912). Bibliotheca Herpetologica 18(9):88–97.

Throughout the rainforests of the Western-Ghats, one of the smallest Geoemydidae turtles known today—the Forest Cane Turtle (Vijayachelys silvatica, Henderson 1912—can be found in Kerala, Karnataka, and Tamil Nadu in the southwest of the Indian peninsula. This remarkable turtle is easily distinguished by several unique morphological features. Today, the Forest Cane Turtle is threatened by habitat loss resulting from development and wildfire, as well as subsistence hunting by local tribes.

Although the species was first described by carcinologist John Robertson Henderson in 1912 based on two males given to him by local Kadar tribesmen the year prior, it wasn’t until 1982 that this species—by then thought to be extinct—was rediscovered by a woman who would come to dedicate herself fully to the study of this species. Through her hard work and dedication, Jagannathan “Viji” Vijaya—the first female herpetologist in India—brought the cryptic Forest Cane Turtle out of the shadows and back to the forefront of herpetology, bringing with it new hope for the turtle’s survival.