Tortoise
Testudinidae Temporal range:
| |
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Aldabra giant tortoise (Aldabrachelys gigantea) | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Reptilia |
Order: | Testudines |
Suborder: | Cryptodira |
Superfamily: | Testudinoidea |
Family: | Testudinidae Batsch, 1788 |
Type genus | |
Testudo |
Tortoises (
Tortoises can vary in size with some species, such as the
Tortoises are placid and slow-moving, with an average walking speed of 0.2–0.5 km/h.[citation needed]
Terminology
Differences exist in usage of the common terms turtle, tortoise, and terrapin, depending on the variety of English being used; usage is inconsistent and contradictory.[3] These terms are common names and do not reflect precise biological or taxonomic distinctions.[4]
The
British usage, by contrast, tends not to use "turtle" as a generic term for all members of the order, and also applies the term "tortoises" broadly to all land-dwelling members of the order Testudines, regardless of whether they are actually members of the family Testudinidae.[8] In Britain, terrapin is used to refer to a larger group of semiaquatic turtles than the restricted meaning in America.[6][9]
Australian usage is different from both American and British usage.[8] Land tortoises are not native to Australia, and traditionally freshwater turtles have been called "tortoises" in Australia.[10] Some Australian experts disapprove of this usage—believing that the term tortoises is "better confined to purely terrestrial animals with very different habits and needs, none of which are found in this country"—and promote the use of the term "freshwater turtle" to describe Australia's primarily aquatic members of the order Testudines because it avoids misleading use of the word "tortoise" and also is a useful distinction from marine turtles.[10]
Biology
Life cycle
Most species of tortoises lay small clutch sizes, seldom exceeding 20 eggs, and many species have clutch sizes of only 1–2 eggs. Incubation is characteristically long in most species, the average incubation period are between 100 and 160.0 days. Egg-laying typically occurs at night, after which the mother tortoise covers her
The number of concentric rings on the carapace, much like the cross-section of a tree, can sometimes give a clue to how old the animal is, but, since the growth depends highly on the accessibility of food and water, a tortoise that has access to plenty of forage (or is regularly fed by its owner) with no seasonal variation will have no noticeable rings. Moreover, some tortoises grow more than one ring per season, and in some others, due to wear, some rings are no longer visible.[13]
Tortoises generally have one of the longest lifespans of any animal, and some individuals are known to have lived longer than 150 years.[14] Because of this, they symbolize longevity in some cultures, such as Chinese culture. The oldest tortoise ever recorded, and one of the oldest individual animals ever recorded, was Tu'i Malila, which was presented to the Tongan royal family by the British explorer James Cook shortly after its birth in 1777. Tu'i Malila remained in the care of the Tongan royal family until its death by natural causes on May 19, 1965, at the age of 188.[15]
The
Dimorphism
Many species of tortoises are sexually dimorphic, though the differences between males and females vary from species to species.[20] In some species, males have a longer, more protruding neck plate than their female counterparts, while in others, the claws are longer on the females.
The male plastron is curved inwards to aid reproduction. The easiest way to determine the sex of a tortoise is to look at the tail. The females, as a general rule, have smaller tails, dropped down, whereas the males have much longer tails which are usually pulled up and to the side of the rear shell.
Brain
The brain of a tortoise is extremely small. Red-footed tortoises, from Central and South America, do not have an area in the brain called the hippocampus, which relates to emotion, learning, memory and spatial navigation. Studies have shown that red-footed tortoises may rely on an area of the brain called the medial cortex for emotional actions, an area that humans use for actions such as decision making.[21]
In the 17th century, Francesco Redi performed an experiment that involved removing the brain of a land tortoise, which then proceeded to live six months. Freshwater tortoises, when subjected to the same experiment, continued similarly, but did not live so long. Redi also cut the head off a tortoise entirely, and it lived for 23 days.[22][23][24]
Distribution
Tortoises are found from southern North America to southern South America, around the Mediterranean basin, across Eurasia to Southeast Asia, in sub-Saharan Africa, Madagascar, and some Pacific islands. They are absent from Australasia. They live in diverse habitats, including deserts, arid grasslands, and scrub to wet evergreen forests, and from sea level to mountains. Most species, however, occupy semiarid habitats.
Many large islands are or were characterized by species of
Today there are only two living species of giant tortoises, the
Diet
Tortoises are generally considered to be strict
Behavior
Communication in tortoises is different from many other reptiles. Because they are restricted by their shell and short limbs,
Taxonomy
This species list largely follows Turtle Taxonomy Working Group (2021)[30] and the Turtle Extinctions Working Group (2015).[31]
Family Testudinidae Batsch 1788[32]
- †Alatochelon[33]
- † Alatochelon myrteum
- †
- Aldabrachelys Loveridge and Williams 1957:166[34]
- Aldabrachelys gigantea Aldabran giant tortoise.
- †Aldabrachelys abrupta Late Holocene, extinct circa 1200 AD
- †Aldabrachelys grandidieri Late Holocene, extinct circa 884 AD
- Astrochelys Gray, 1873:4[35]
- Astrochelys radiata, radiated tortoise
- Astrochelys yniphora, angonoka tortoise, (Madagascan) plowshare tortoise
- Centrochelys Gray 1872:5[36]
- † Centrochelys atlantica
- † Centrochelys burchardi Tenerife giant tortoise
- † Centrochelys marocana
- † Centrochelys robusta Maltese giant tortoise
- Centrochelys sulcata, African spurred tortoise, sulcata tortoise
- † Centrochelys vulcanica Gran Canaria giant tortoise
- Chelonoidis Fitzinger 1835:112[37]
- † Chelonoidis alburyorum Abaco tortoise, Late Pleistocene, extinct c. 1400 CE
- Chelonoidis carbonarius, red-footed tortoise
- Chelonoidis chilensis, Chaco tortoise, Argentine tortoise or southern wood tortoise
- † Chelonoidis cubensis Cuban giant tortoise
- Chelonoidis denticulatus Brazilian giant tortoise, yellow-footed tortoise
- † C. dominicensis Dominican giant tortoise[38]
- † Chelonoidis lutzae Lutz's giant tortoise, Late Pleistocene
- † Chelonoidis monensis Mona tortoise
- Chelonoidis niger Galapagos giant tortoise[39]
- † Chelonoidis sellovii Southern Cone giant tortoise, Pleistocene
- † Chelonoidis sombrerensis Sombrero giant tortoise, Late Pleistocene
- Chersina Gray 1830:5
- Chersina angulata, angulated tortoise, South African bowsprit tortoise
- † Cheirogaster Bergounioux 1935:78
- †Cheirogaster gymnesica Late Pliocene to Early Pleistocene
- †Cheirogaster schafferi Pliocene to Early Pleistocene
- Chersobius Fitzinger, 1835
- Chersobius boulengeri, Karoo padloper, Karoo dwarf tortoise, Boulenger's Cape tortoise
- Chersobius signatus, speckled padloper tortoise
- Chersobius solus, Nama padloper, Berger's Cape tortoise
- †Cylindraspis Fitzinger 1835:112[37] (all species extinct) following Austin and Arnold, 2001:[40]
- †Cylindraspis indica, synonym Cylindraspis borbonica, Reunion giant tortoise
- †Cylindraspis inepta, saddle-backed Mauritius giant tortoise or Mauritius giant domed tortoise
- †Cylindraspis peltastes, domed Rodrigues giant tortoise
- †Cylindraspis triserrata, domed Mauritius giant tortoise or Mauritius giant flat-shelled tortoise
- †Cylindraspis vosmaeri, saddle-backed Rodrigues giant tortoise
- †
- † Ergilemys Ckhikvadze, 1984[41]
- Geochelone Fitzinger 1835:112[37]
- Geochelone elegans, Indian star tortoise
- Geochelone platynota, Burmese star tortoise
- Rafinesque 1832:64[42]
- Gopherus agassizii, Mojave desert tortoise, Agassiz's desert tortoise
- Gopherus berlandieri, Texas tortoise, Berlandier's tortoise
- Gopherus flavomarginatus, Bolson tortoise
- Gopherus morafkai, Sonoran desert tortoise, Morafka's desert tortoise
- Gopherus polyphemus, gopher tortoise
- † Hadrianus
- Hadrianus corsoni (syn. H. octonarius)
- Hadrianus robustus
- Hadrianus schucherti
- Hadrianus utahensis
- † Hesperotestudo
- Hesperotestudo alleni
- Hesperotestudo angusticeps
- Hesperotestudo brontops
- Hesperotestudo equicomes
- Hesperotestudo impensa
- Hesperotestudo incisa
- Hesperotestudo johnstoni
- Hesperotestudo kalganensis
- Hesperotestudo niobrarensis
- Hesperotestudo orthopygia
- Hesperotestudo osborniana
- Hesperotestudo percrassa
- Hesperotestudo riggsi
- Hesperotestudo tumidus
- Hesperotestudo turgida
- Hesperotestudo wilsoni
- Homopus Duméril and Bibron 1834:357[43]
- Homopus areolatus, common padloper, parrot-beaked tortoise, beaked Cape tortoise
- Homopus femoralis, greater padloper, greater dwarf tortoise
- Lindholm, 1929
- Indotestudo elongata, elongated tortoise, yellow-headed tortoise
- Indotestudo forstenii, Forsten's tortoise, East Indian tortoise
- Indotestudo travancorica, Travancore tortoise
- Kinixys
- Kinixys belliana, Bell's hinge-back tortoise
- Kinixys erosa, forest hinge-back tortoise, serrated hinge-back tortoise
- Kinixys homeana, Home's hinge-back tortoise
- Kinixys lobatsiana, Lobatse hinge-back tortoise
- Kinixys natalensis, Natal hinge-back tortoise
- Kinixys spekii, Speke's hinge-back tortoise
- Malacochersus Lindholm 1929:285[44]
- Malacochersus tornieri, pancake tortoise
- Manouria Gray 1854:133[45]
- Manouria emys, Asian giant tortoise, brown tortoise (mountain tortoise)
- Manouria impressa, impressed tortoise
- † Megalochelys Falconer, H. and Cautley, P.T. 1837.[46]
- † Megalochelys atlas, Atlas tortoise, Extinct – Pliocene to Pleistocene
- † Megalochelys cautleyi, Cautley's giant tortoise
- †
- Psammobates Fitzinger 1835:113[37]
- Psammobates geometricus, geometric tortoise
- Psammobates oculifer, serrated tent tortoise, Kalahari tent tortoise
- Psammobates tentorius, African tent tortoise
- Pyxis Bell 1827:395[47]
- Pyxis arachnoides, (Madagascan) spider tortoise
- Pyxis planicauda, flat-backed spider tortoise, (Madagascan) flat-tailed tortoise, flat-tailed spider tortoise
- Stigmochelys Gray, 1873
- Stigmochelys pardalis, leopard tortoise
- † Stylemys
- Stylemys botti
- Stylemys calaverensis
- Stylemys canetotiana
- Stylemys capax
- Stylemys conspecta
- Stylemys copei
- Stylemys emiliae
- Stylemys frizaciana
- Stylemys karakolensis
- Stylemys nebrascensis (syn. S. amphithorax)
- Stylemys neglectus
- Stylemys oregonensis
- Stylemys pygmea
- Stylemys uintensis
- Stylemys undabuna
- † Titanochelon
- †Titanochelon gymnesica (Bate, 1914) Balearic Islands, Pliocene
- † Titanochelon bolivari (Hernandez-Pacheco, 1917) (type) Iberian Peninsula, Miocene
- † Titanochelon bacharidisi (Vlachos et al., 2014) Greece, Bulgaria, Late Miocene
- † Titanochelon perpiniana (Deperet 1885) France, Pliocene
- †Titanochelon schafferi (Szalai, 1931) Samos, Greece, Miocene
- †Titanochelon vitodurana (Biedermann 1862) Switzerland, Early Miocene
- †Titanochelon kayadibiensis Karl, Staesche & Safi, 2021, Anatolia, Miocene
- †Titanochelon eurysternum (Gervais, 1848–1852) France, Miocene
- †Titanochelon ginsburgi (de Broin, 1977 ) France, Miocene
- †Titanochelon leberonensis (Depéret, 1890) France, Miocene
- Testudo
- Testudo graeca, Greek tortoise, spur-thighed tortoise, Moorish tortoise
- Testudo hermanni, Hermann's tortoise
- Testudo horsfieldii, Russian tortoise
- Testudo kleinmanni, Egyptian tortoise, including Negev tortoise
- Testudo marginata, marginated tortoise
Phylogeny
A
Testudinidae |
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A separate phylogeny via
Testudinidae |
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In 2023 Kehlmaier again recovered a very similar phylogeny to the 2021 one, which further reaffirmed the evolutionary distinctiveness of the extinct Cylindraspis, but swapped the position of Gopherus and Manouria, making Gopherus the most basal genus.[50]
In human culture
In religion
In
In Judaism and early Christianity tortoises were seen as unclean animals.[51]
Tortoise shells were used by ancient Chinese as
The tortoise is a symbol of the Ancient Greek god, Hermes.
In space
In September, 1968, two Russian tortoises became the first animals to fly to and circle the Moon. Their Zond 5 mission brought them back to Earth safely.
As pets
As food
Gallery
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Baby Testudo marginata emerges from its egg
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Baby tortoise, less than a day old
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Young, 20-year-old Tanzanian leopard tortoise feeding on grass
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Aldabra giant tortoise,Geochelone gigantea
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22-year-old leopard tortoise
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African spurred tortoise from the Oakland Zoo
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Pair of African spurred tortoises mate in a zoo
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Boy rides a tortoise at a zoo
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Video of tortoises mating
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YoungTestudo hermanni
See also
References
- ^ Harris, Samantha. "How Strong Is A Tortoise Shell?". Tortoise Knowledge. Retrieved 23 January 2023.
- ISBN 978-1-78617-327-0.
- ^ ISBN 084938804X. p. 358.
- ^ ISBN 0761472665. p. 2796.
- ISBN 1770851194
- ^ a b "Turtle". Sandiegozoo.org. Archived from the original on 2010-12-06. Retrieved 2012-09-16.
- ^ What is the difference between turtles, terrapins, and tortoises? Archived 2015-05-05 at the Wayback Machine, North Carolina Aquariums (July 1997).
- ^ ISBN 1416594795. p. 174.
- ISBN 0761471952. p. 1476.
- ^ ISBN 9780643096462. p. 134.
- ^ Highfield, Andy. "Tortoise egg incubation". Tortoisetrust.org. Archived from the original on 2013-09-05. Retrieved 2009-04-07.
- ^ "Feeding your baby: 6–12 months". www.unicef.org. Retrieved 2022-07-13.
- ^ "Shells: Anatomy and Diseases of Turtle and Tortoise Shells". PetEducation.com. Drs. Foster & Smith. Archived from the original on 2013-10-23. Retrieved 2013-10-22.
- PMID 16489146.
- ^ "Tortoise Believed to Have Been Owned by Darwin Dies at 176". Fox News. Associated Press. 2006-06-26. Archived from the original on July 1, 2006.
- ^ "'Clive of India's' tortoise dies". BBC News. 2006-03-23. Retrieved 2009-04-07.
- ^ Thomson, S.; Irwin, S.; Irwin, T. (1995). "Harriet, the Galapagos tortoise: disclosing one and a half centuries of history". Intermontanus. 4 (5): 33–35.
- ^ "Timmy the tortoise dies aged 160". 2004-04-07. Retrieved 2019-05-30.
- ^ Meet Jonathan, St Helena's 182-year-old giant tortoise BBC, March 13, 2014
- ^ "Sexing Your Tortoise". Tortoise Supply. Retrieved 13 February 2017.
- ^ "Tortoises Show Off Smarts by Mastering Touch-Screen Tech". Live Science. Retrieved 2016-12-01.
- ^ Cuvier, Georges; Smith, Charles Hamilton; Pidgeon, Edward (1831). The animal kingdom arranged in conformity with its organization. Vol. 9. Printed for G. B. Whittaker. pp. 54–.
- ^ The London Literary Gazette and Journal of Belles Lettres, Arts, Sciences, Etc. H. Colburn. 1831. pp. 277–.
- ^ Broderip, William John (1852). Leaves from the Note Book of a Naturalist. E. Littell & Company. p. 83 (left column).
In the beginning of November he opened the skull of a land-tortoise, removed every particle of brain, and cleaned the cavity out... instead of dying or remaining motionless, it groped its way about....
- S2CID 86037101.
- ISBN 978-0226143972.)
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link - .
- PMID 34428417.
- ISSN 0003-1569.
- S2CID 244279960.
- ISBN 978-0965354097.
- ^ Batsch, A.J.G.C. (1788). Versuch einer Anleitung zur Kenntniss und Geschichte der Thiere und Mineralien. Erster Theil. Allgemeine Geschichte der Natur; besondre der Säugthiere, Vögel, Amphibien und Fische. Jena: Akademischen Buchandlung, 528 pp.
- S2CID 214232312.
- ^ Loveridge, Arthur; Williams, Ernest E. (1957). "Revision of the African tortoises and turtles of the suborder Cryptodira". Bulletin of the Museum of Comparative Zoology. 115 (6): 163–557.
- ^ Gray, John Edward (1873). "Notes on the genera of turtles (Oiacopodes), and especially on their skeletons and skulls". Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London. 1873: 395–411.
- ^ Gray, John Edward. (1872). "Appendix to the Catalogue of Shield Reptiles in the Collection of the British Museum. Part I. Testudinata (Tortoises)". London: British Museum, 28 pp.
- ^ a b c d Fitzinger, Leopold J. (1835). "Entwurf einer systematischen Anordnung der Schildkröten nach den Grundsätzen der natürlichen Methode". Annalen des Wiener Museums der Naturgeschichte. 1: 105–128.
- ^ "Fossilworks: Chelonoidis dominicensis". fossilworks.org. Retrieved 17 December 2021.
- ^ Testudinidae, The Reptile Database
- PMID 11749704.
- ^ "Ergilemys". paleobiodb.org. Paleobio DB. Retrieved March 23, 2022.
- ^ Rafinesque, Constantine Samuel (1832). "Description of two new genera of soft shell turtles of North America". Atlantic Journal and Friend of Knowledge. 1: 64–65.
- ^ Duméril, André Marie Constant and Bibron, Gab riel. 1834. Erpétologie Générale ou Histoire Naturelle Complète des Reptiles. Tome Premier. Paris: Roret, 439 pp.
- ^ Lindholm, Wassili A. (1929). "Revidiertes Verzeichnis der Gattungen der rezenten Schildkröten nebst Notizen zur Nomenklatur einiger Arten". Zoologischer Anzeiger. 81: 275–295.
- ^ Gray, John Edward (1834). "Characters of several new species of freshwater tortoises (Emys) from India and China". Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London. 2: 53–54.
- ^ Falconer, H.; Cautley, P.T. (1837). "On additional fossil species of the order Quadrumana from the Siwalik Hills". Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal. 6: 354–360.
- doi:10.1111/j.1095-8339.1826.tb00122.x. Archived from the original(PDF) on 2018-09-05. Retrieved 2015-08-28.
- PMID 16678445.
- PMID 33564028.
- PMID 36630487.
- ^ Thomas, Richard. "TORTOISES AND THE EXOTIC ANIMAL TRADE IN BRITAIN FROM MEDIEVAL TO 'MODERN'" (PDF). Testudo. 8 – via British Chelonia Group site.
Further reading
- Chambers, Paul (2004). A Sheltered Life: The Unexpected History of the Giant Tortoise. London: John Murray. ISBN 978-0-7195-6528-1.
- Ernst, C. H.; Barbour, R. W. (1989). Turtles of the World. Washington, DC: Smithsonian Institution Press. ISBN 9780874744149.
- Gerlach, Justin (2004). Giant Tortoises of the Indian Ocean. Frankfurt: Chimiara.
- Antoinette C. van der Kuyl; Donato L. Ph. Ballasina; John T. Dekker; Jolanda Maas; Ronald E. Willemsen; Jaap Goudsmit (February 2002). "Phylogenetic Relationships among the Species of the Genus Testudo (Testudines: Testudinidae) Inferred from Mitochondrial 12S rRNA Gene Sequences". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 22 (2): 174–183. PMID 11820839.
External links
- Family Testudinidae (Tortoises), The Reptile Database
- Chelonia: Conservation and care of turtles.
- Live Tortoise Stream : Live Tortoise Stream