Asiatic tortoises
| Asiatic tortoises | ||||||||||||
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Yellow-headed turtle |
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| Systematics | ||||||||||||
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Indotestudo | ||||||||||||
| Lindholm , 1929 |
The Asiatic tortoises ( Indotestudo ) are a genus of the Halsberger tortoise and belong to the family of tortoises .
Distribution area
The distribution area of this genus is the southeast Asia. The species Indotestudo forstenii occurs in north and central Sulawesi . The Travancore tortoise ( Indotestudo travancorica ) is native to southwest India. It is a very rare species that is strictly protected in India. The third species belonging to this genus, the yellow-headed turtle ( Indotestudo elongata ), has the largest distribution area . It occurs in northern India as well as in southern Nepal. Its distribution area also extends from Bangladesh, Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam and Laos to the Chinese provinces of Guangxi and Yunnan .
Habitat and way of life
The habitat of these three species is very diverse. It ranges from dry forests to the fringes of rainforests. Characteristic for the species is an elongated and rigid carapace with bright areoles. All three species look very similar. The yellow-headed turtle is usually distinguished from the other two species by the neck shield present in this species, which is generally absent in the other two species. According to some turtle experts, a more suitable distinguishing feature is the color markings on the ventral side, which in Indotestudo forstenii are significantly more central.
It is unusual that the species Indotestudo forstenii only lays one egg. This only occurs with a few species of turtle. The yellow-headed turtle's clutch, on the other hand, usually consists of two to six eggs. The young hatch in this species after about 108 to 180 days.
species
- Yellow-headed tortoise ( Indotestudo elongata (Blyth, 1854))
- Forsten's tortoise ( Indotestudo forstenii (Schlegel & Müller, 1845))
- Travancore tortoise ( Indotestudo travancorica (Boulenger, 1907))
Individual evidence
- ^ Forsten's Tortoise - Indotestudo forstenii
- ↑ Differentiating Indotestudo forstenii from Indotestudo elongata
literature
- Manfred Rogner: Tortoises - biology, keeping, reproduction , Eugen Ulmer KG, Stuttgart 2008, ISBN 978-3-8001-5440-1
