Testudinidae

Characteristics

These tortoises have carapaces which go from less than 12 cm ( Homopus ) to 130 cm ( Geochelone ). The carapace is made of an arched backing, and a drill plate usually without articulation. Only the Pyxis and Testudo have an articulated drill plate, and the Kinixys have a backing articulated. The adaptation to the terrestrial life results in thick and solid legs, short fingers including four on the back legs.

Food

The tortoises are primarily herbivorous and consume grass, flowers, succulent plants, fruits,… although certain species feed from carrion.

Reproduction

Certain females of certain species can lay several times in the same season.

Chorology

Ecology

They are terrestrial tortoises alive on ground, without needing the permanence of a river to live.

Distribution

One finds them in their natural environments (heat like the Mediterranean deserts, tropical forests or mediums) with the Americas, in Europe, Africa, Asia, and on the islands of Madagascar, of the Galapagos, and with the Seychelles. They disappeared with the Mascareignes. They are often endemic.

It is the family of only of native tortoise of France, the Tortue of Hermann ( Testudo hermanni ).

Phylogenetic

The Testudinidae are closely related to the tortoises of pond (Emydidae) which belong to the same super-family of the Testudinoidea. These fossil tortoises are numerous, and oldest ( Geochelone majusculus ) date of the Eocene . The Manouria kind is regarded as oldest.

List kinds

Chersina Gray, 1831 - Tortoise with plowshare of South Africa (1 species).
Geochelone Fitzinger, 1835 - (11 species).
Gopherus Rafinesque, 1832 - (4 species).
Homopus Duméril and Bibron, 1834 - (5 species).
Indotestudo Lindholm, 1929 - (2 species).
Beautiful Kinixys , 1827 - (4 species).
Malacochersus Lindholm, 1929 - (1 species).
Manouria Gray, 1852 - (2 species).
Psammobates Fitzinger, 1835 - (3 species).
Beautiful Pyxis , 1827 - (2 species).
Testudo Linnaeus, 1758 - (5 species).
Cylindraspis (extinct)

Terrestrial tortoise and the man

Symbolism

It is the animal which one says that it is more Lent. In the animalist Idiom, to say somebody whom it advances with step of tortoise is not very flattering. By contrast, Tazio Nuvolari, racing driver, accepted a price having the shape of a gold tortoise to emphasize its exploits speed.

Threaten

The conservation is necessary for many tortoises and the impact of the collecting for the trade has an negative impact even if it is badly known. In the USA, hunting for the rattlesnakes also causes the disappearance of the Gopherus polyphemus .

The terrestrial tortoises are often adopted as a Pet. An often illegal trade of these species can put in danger the survival of the animals in their natural habitat.

The terrestrial tortoise is also concerned with the road accidents (still called Roadkill). The species implied in the road accidents vary obviously according to the areas. They are indeed vulnerable species because of their slowness and are thus not very able to avoid the vehicles, more especially as they feel protected by their carapace.

See too

Sources

Ernst, C.H., and Barbour, R.W. 1989. Turtles off the World. Smithsonian Inst. Near, Washington, D.C
Ernst, C.H., Lovich, J.E., and Barbour, R.W. 1994. Turtles off the United States and Canada. Smithsonian Inst. Near, Washington, D.C
Pough, F.H., Andrews, R.M., Cadle, J.E., Crump, M.L., Savitzky, A.H., and Wells, K.D. 2000. Herpetology, 2nd ED. Prentice Hall, Upper Saddle To rivet, NJ.

External bonds

Pecor, K. 2003. " Testudinidae" (On-line), Animal Diversity Web. Accessed January 13,2007.

Simple: Turtle

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