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A tortoise is a land-dwelling reptile of the order Testudines.
Description
Like its aquatic cousins, the turtle and the terrapin, the tortoise is shielded from predators by a shell. The top part of the shell is the carapace, the underside is the plastron, and the two are connected by the bridge. The tortoise has both an endoskeleton and an exoskeleton. Tortoises can vary in size from a few centimetres to two meters. Most land tortoises are herbivorous in the wild.
The giant tortoises of the Galápagos Islands helped Charles Darwin formulate his theory of evolution, since the isolated populations on the different islands, although descended from a common ancestor, had diverged to different forms.
Tortoises generally have lifespans comparable with those of human beings, and some individuals are known to have lived longer than 150 years. Because of this, they symbolize longevity in some cultures, such as China. The oldest tortoise ever recorded, indeed the oldest individual animal ever recorded, was Tui Malila, who was presented to the Tongan royal family by the British explorer Captain Cook shortly after its birth in 1777. Tui Malila remained in the care of the Tongan royal family until its death by natural causes on May 19, 1965. This means that upon its death, Tui Malila was 188 years old *, a figure that gives it the title of oldest Cheloniinae (tortoise or turtle) ever recorded.
The Alipore zoo in India was the home to Adwaitya, which zoo officials claimed was the oldest living creature until its death on Thursday, March 23, 2006. Adwaitya (sometimes spelled with two d's) was an Aldabra giant tortoise brought to India by Lord Wellesley who handed it over to the Alipur Zoological Gardens in 1875 when the zoo was set up. Zoo officials state they have documentation showing that Adwaitya was at least 130 years old, but claim that he was over 250 years old (although this has not been scientifically verified). Addwaitya was said to be the pet of Robert Clive 1.
Harriet, a resident at the Australia zoo in Queensland, was apocryphally thought to have been brought to England by Charles Darwin aboard the Beagle. Harriet died on June 23, 2006, just shy of her 176th birthday.
The first turtles already existed in the era of the dinosaurs, some 300 million years ago. Turtles and tortoises are the only surviving branch of the even more ancient clade Anapsida, which includes groups such as the procolophonoids, millerettids and pareiasaurs. Most of the anapsids became extinct in the late Permian period, with the exception of the procolophonoids and the precursors of the testudines (turtles and tortoises).
The Oxford English Dictionary uses "tortoise" as interchangeable with "turtle". References can still be found, for example, to the "loggerhead tortoise."
Partial species list
- Genus Chersina
- Bowsprit Tortoise, Chersina angulata
- Genus Dipsochelys
- Dipsochelys abrupta Extinct
- Arnold's Giant Tortoise, Dipsochelys arnoldi Extinct in the wild
- Dipsochelys daudinii Extinct
- Aldabra Giant Tortoise, Dipsochelys dussumieri
- Dipsochelys grandidieri Extinct
- Seychelles Giant Tortoise, Dipsochelys hololissa Extinct in the wild
- Genus Furculachelys
- Tunisian Spur-thigh Tortoise, Furculachelys nabeulensis
- Genus Geochelone
- Red-Footed Tortoise, Geochelone carbonaria
- Chaco Tortoise, Geochelone chilensis
- Yellow-Footed Tortoise, Geochelone denticulata
- Indian Star Tortoise, Geochelone elegans
- Galápagos Giant Tortoise, Geochelone nigra
- Leopard Tortoise, Geochelone pardalis
- Burmese Star Tortoise, Geochelone platynota
- Radiated Tortoise, Geochelone radiata
- African Spurred Tortoise (Sulcata Tortoise), Geochelone sulcata
- Angulated Tortoise, Geochelone yniphora
- Genus Gopherus
- Desert Tortoise, Gopherus agassizii Vulnerable
- Texas Tortoise, Gopherus berlandieri
- Bolson Tortoise, Gopherus flavomarginatus Vulnerable
- Gopher Tortoise, Gopherus polyphemus Vulnerable
- Genus Homopus
- Parrot-Beaked Cape Tortoise, Homopus aerolatus
- Boulenger's Cape Tortoise, Homopus boulengeri
- Karroo Cape Tortoise, Homopus femoralis
- Speckled Cape Tortoise, Homopus signatus
- Berger's Cape Tortoise, Homopus bergeri Vulnerable
- Genus Indotestudo
- Elongated Tortoise, Indotestudo elongata
- Travancore Tortoise, Indotestudo forsteni
- Genus Kimixys
- Bell's Hinge-Backed Tortoise, Kinixys belliana
- Serrated Hinge-Backed Tortoise, Kinixys erosa
- Home's Hinge-Backed Tortoise, Kinixys homeana
- Natal Hinge-Backed Tortoise, Kinixys natalensis
- Kinixys spekii
- Genus Malacochersus
- Pancake Tortoise, Malacochersus tornieri Vulnerable
- Genus Manouria
- Brown Tortoise / Mountain Tortoise, Manouria emys
- Impressed Tortoise, Manouria impressa Vulnerable
- Genus Psammobates
- Geometric Tortoise, Psammobates geometricus
- Serrated Star Tortoise, Psammobates oculiferus
- African Tent Tortoise, Psammobates tentorius
- Genus Pyxis
- Madagascan Spider Tortoise, Pyxis arachnoides Vulnerable
- Madagascan Flat-Tailed Tortoise, Pyxis planicauda Endangered
- Genus Testudo
- Greek Tortoise, Spur-Thighed Tortoise, Testudo graeca Vulnerable
- Herman's Tortoise, Testudo hermanni
- Russian Tortoise, Horsfield's Tortoise, Testudo horsfieldii
- Egyptian Tortoise, Testudo kleinmanni
- Negev Tortoise, Testudo werneri
- Marginated Tortoise, Testudo marginata
- Jabuti, Testudo tabulata
Further reading
- Chambers, Paul. A Sheltered Life: The Unexpected History of the Giant Tortoise. John Murray (Publishers), London. 2004. ISBN 0719565286.
- Gerlach, Justin. Giant Tortoises of the Indian Ocean. Chimiara publishers, Frankfurt. 2004
See also
- Turtles and tortoises in popular culture
- Owen and Mzee, a friendship between an old giant tortoise and a baby hippopotamus.
External links
Gallery
Landschildkröten | Testudo | Testudinidae | リクガメ | Landdeckelsmouken | Landschildpadden | Уæртджын хæфс | Żółwie lądowe | Testudinidae | تاشپاقا
"Tortoise"