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Afghan Tortoise

Testudo horsfieldii Gray 1844

Biology

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The Afghan tortoise has a notably short period of activity, which may last for just three months of the year (6). In spring (March) this species emerges from hibernation and actively forages and mates until mid-June (6) (8). The courtship and mating ritual is a little unusual, in which the male repeatedly circles the female, then stops to face her head-on. The neck of the male is extended, while the head is rapidly jerked up and down, accompanied by occasional biting and ramming of the female by the male. A clutch of two to six eggs are laid in May or June, and a further two, or even three, clutches may be laid the same season. Hatchlings usually emerge 80 to 110 days later, in August or September, although sometimes they spend the winter in the nest and do not emerge until the following spring. Although sexual maturity is attained at 10 years of age, this slow-growing tortoise is not considered full-grown until 20 to 30 years (6). In much of its range, this tortoise aestivates during the scorching summer heat, emerging briefly at the end of summer to feed prior to hibernation. The diet consists of herbaceous and succulent vegetation, including grasses (green and dried), twigs, flowers, fruits and the flesh leaves and stems of native and cultivated plants. This burrow-dwelling tortoise may dig a burrow up to 2 m deep, to which it retreats at night and during the midday heat, emerging only at dawn or dusk to forage when temperatures are lower. The depths of its burrow also help to insulate the Afghan tortoise from the ravages of winter (6).
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Conservation

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Its listing on Appendix II of CITES helps regulate the numbers of this species that can be exported. However, CITES quotas still permit Uzbekistan to export 22,000 wild-caught specimens, Tajikistan 20,000 wild-caught specimens and Kazakhstan 40,000 live specimens a year (3). Stabilization of the political climate and education of local peoples would contribute to a more promising future for the Afghan tortoise (6).
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Description

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The Afghan tortoise has a rounded upper shell (carapace) that is almost as broad as it is long. The upper shell varies in colour from uniformly light brown to yellowish-brown with extensive dark brown markings on each scute, while the lower shell (plastron) is black with yellow seams (2). The head and limbs are yellowish-brown, with the jaws being noticeably darker and the neck, especially in younger specimens, tending to be lighter (more yellowish) in colour (2) (5). The front legs are heavily armoured with prominent overlapping scales (5). Spur-like scales are present on each heal and blunt tubercles on each thigh and the tail ends in a horny claw (2). Unlike all other Testudo tortoises, which have five toes on their forelimbs, this species only has four, resulting in one of its common names, the 'four-toed tortoise' (5) (6).
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Habitat

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Native to arid, barren habitats such as rocky deserts and hillsides, as well as sandy steppes and grassy areas close to springs (6) (7). Winters in these environments can be particularly harsh and cold, with temperatures in much of the tortoise's range well below freezing (6).
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Range

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Found from the Caspian Sea southward through Iran, Afghanistan and Pakistan, and eastward through Kazakhstan to Xinjiang, China (2).
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Status

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Classified as Vulnerable (VU) on the IUCN Red List 2006 (1) and listed on Appendix II of CITES (3). There are at least three recognised subspecies: T. horsfieldii kazachtanica, T. horsfieldii rustmovi and T. horsfieldii horsfieldii (4).
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Threats

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In some parts of its expansive range, the Afghan tortoise has been heavily exploited for food by local people as well as for the pet trade (5) (6). Between 1965 and 1971, 119,319 specimens of this species were imported into the United Kingdom alone (5). In addition, habitat destruction and degradation due to warfare, farming, livestock grazing and development have all contributed to the decline of this species, and its future looks increasingly uncertain (6).
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Russian tortoise

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The Russian tortoise (Testudo horsfieldii), also commonly known as the Afghan tortoise, the Central Asian tortoise, Horsfield's tortoise, four-clawed tortoise, and the (Russian) steppe tortoise,as well as the "Four-Toed Tortoise"[3][4] is a threatened species of tortoise in the family Testudinidae. The species is endemic to Central Asia from the Caspian Sea south through Iran, Pakistan and Afghanistan, and east across Kazakhstan to Xinjiang, China.[5][6] Human activities in its native habitat contribute to its threatened status.[5]

Etymology

Both the specific name, horsfieldii, and the common name "Horsfield's tortoise" are in honor of the American naturalist Thomas Horsfield.He worked in Java (1796) and for the East India Company and later became a friend of Sir Thomas Raffies.[7][8]

Systematics

This species is traditionally placed in Testudo. Due to distinctly different morphological characteristics, the monotypic genus Agrionemys was proposed for it in 1966, and was accepted for several decades, although not unanimously.[9][5] DNA sequence analysis generally concurred, but not too robustly so.[10] However, in 2021, it was again reclassified in Testudo by the Turtle Taxonomy Working Group and the Reptile Database, with Agrionemys being relegated to a distinct subgenus that T. horsfieldii belonged to.[5][11] The Turtle Taxonomy Working Group lists five separate subspecies of Russian tortoise, but they are not widely accepted by taxonomists:[12]

  • T. h. bogdanovi Chkhikvadze, 2008 – southern Krygystan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan
  • T. h. horsfieldii (Gray, 1844) – Afghanistan/Pakistan and southern Central Asia
  • T. h. kazachstanica Chkhikvadze, 1988 – Kazakhstan/Karakalpakhstan
  • T. h. kuznetzovi Chkhikvadze, Ataev, Shammakov & Zatoka, 2009 – northern Turkmenistan, southern Uzbekistan
  • T. h. rustamovi Chkhikvadze, Amiranschwili & Atajew, 1990 – southwestern Turkmenistan

Description

The Russian tortoise is a small tortoise species, with a size range of 13–25 cm (5–10 in). Females grow slightly larger (15–25 cm [6–10 in]) to accommodate eggs. Males average 13–20 cm (5–8 in).

Russian tortoises are sexually dimorphic. Males are usually smaller than the females,[13] and the males tend to have longer tails generally tucked to the side, and longer claws; females have a short, fat tail, with shorter claws than the males. The male has a slit-shaped vent (cloaca) near the tip of its tail; the female has an asterisk-shaped vent (cloaca). Russian tortoises have four toes. Coloration varies, but the shell is usually a ruddy brown or black, fading to yellow between the scutes, and the body is straw-yellow and brown depending on the subspecies.

The male Russian tortoise courts a female through head bobbing, circling, and biting her forelegs. When she submits, he mounts her from behind, making high-pitched squeaking noises during mating.[14]

On average, Russian tortoises will hibernate for about 8 weeks to 5 months throughout the year, if the conditions are right.[15] The species can spend as much as 9 months of the year in dormancy.

Habitat

Russian tortoises thrive in dry, open areas. They keep to sandy locations, where they can get around easily and burrow. Despite preferring arid environments primarily, Russian tortoises can survive well where humidity is 70 percent, and actually need some rain to soften the soil so they can dig their burrows.[16] These Burrows can be as deep as two meters, where it retreats during the midday heat and at night, only emerging to forage at dawn or dusk when temperatures drop. These tortoises are quite social, and they will visit nearby burrows, and sometimes several will spend the night in one burrow.[5]

Captivity

A Russian tortoise at the Milwaukee Public Museum

Russian tortoises are popular pets. While they are a hardy species, but do have some specific needs. Russian tortoises requires a very dry, well-drained cage in an indoor enclosure.[17] They can be kept indoors or outdoors, but outdoor tortoise enclosures generally require less equipment and upkeep, and are preferable if the keeper lives in an appropriate climate. Indoor enclosures should measure 8’L x 4’W x 2.5’H, or otherwise offer 32 square feet of floor space.[18] Indoors, specialized equipment is required to maintain moderate temperatures and moderate humidity, with UVB light available in an appropriate strength.

In captivity, Russian tortoises’ diet typically consists of lamb's lettuce, plantains and various other dark leafy greens. The Russian tortoise’s natural diet consists of herbaceous and succulent vegetation including grasses, twigs, flowers and some fruits.[19] The diet should be as varied as possible to reduce the risk of imbalanced nutrition. Water is important for all species; the tortoise, being an arid species, will typically get water from their food, but they still need a constant supply. Young Russian tortoises should be soaked 1-2x/weekly in lukewarm water no deeper than their elbows to keep hydrated. Tortoises typically empty their bowels in water to hide their scent; this is an instinct, and it also helps keep their enclosure cleaner.[20]

Russian tortoises can live up to 50 years, and require annual hibernation.

Russian tortoises do not require a CITES Article X certificate.

1968 Moon flight

In September 1968 two Russian tortoises flew to the Moon, circled it, and returned safely to Earth on the Soviet Zond 5 mission. Accompanied by mealworms, plants, and other lifeforms, they were the first Earth creatures to travel to the Moon.[21]

References

  1. ^ Tortoise & Freshwater Turtle Specialist Group (TFTSG) (1996). "Testudo horsfieldii ". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 1996: e.T21651A9306759. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.1996.RLTS.T21651A9306759.en. Retrieved 20 February 2022.
  2. ^ Fritz, Uwe; Havaš, Peter (2007). "Checklist of Chelonians of the World" (PDF). Vertebrate Zoology. 57 (2): 301–302. doi:10.3897/vz.57.e30895. ISSN 1864-5755. S2CID 87809001. Archived from the original (PDF) on 1 May 2011. Retrieved 29 May 2012.
  3. ^ Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2011). "Agrionemys horsfieldii". The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. p. 126. ISBN 978-1-4214-0135-5.
  4. ^ Rhodin, Anders G.J.; Inverson, John B.; Roger, Bour; Fritz, Uwe; Georges, Arthur; Shaffer, H. Bradley; van Dijk, Peter Paul (3 August 2017). "Turtles of the world, 2017 update: Annotated checklist and atlas of taxonomy, synonymy, distribution, and conservation status(8th Ed.)" (PDF). Chelonian Research Monographs. 7. ISBN 978-1-5323-5026-9. Retrieved 4 October 2019.
  5. ^ a b c d e "Testudo horsfieldii". The Reptile Database. Retrieved 25 March 2022.
  6. ^ Lee, Davis S. (2010). "Testudostan: Our Post-Cold War Global Exploitation of a Noble Tortoise" (PDF). Bull. Chicago Herp. Soc.: 45(1):1-9. Retrieved 16 April 2023.
  7. ^ Crumly, C.R (1988). "A nomenclatural history of tortoises (family Testudinidae)". Smithsonian Herpetological Information Service. 75 (75): 1-17. doi:10.5479/si.23317515.75.1.
  8. ^ Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2011). The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. ISBN 978-1-4214-0135-5. (Agrionemys horsfieldii, p. 126).
  9. ^ Khozatsky & Mlynarski (1966)
  10. ^ e.g. Fritz et al. (2005)
  11. ^ Rhodin, Anders G.J. (15 November 2021). Turtles of the World: Annotated Checklist and Atlas of Taxonomy, Synonymy, Distribution, and Conservation Status. Chelonian Research Monographs. Vol. 8 (9 ed.). Chelonian Research Foundation and Turtle Conservancy. doi:10.3854/crm.8.checklist.atlas.v9.2021. ISBN 978-0-9910368-3-7. S2CID 244279960.
  12. ^ "Testudo horsfieldii ". Reptile Database. Retrieved 22 February 2017.
  13. ^ "Russian Tortoise Care & Information". Cascade Kennels. 20 July 2016. Retrieved 16 April 2023.
  14. ^ "Breeding Russian Tortoises". The Russian Tortoise. Retrieved 22 February 2017.
  15. ^ "Do Russian Tortoises Hibernate?". Pet Russian Tortoise. 7 May 2021. Retrieved 16 April 2023.
  16. ^ Bauer, Thomas; Reese, Sven; Koelle, Petra (3 April 2019). "Nutrition and husbandry conditions of Palearctic tortoises (Testudo spp.) in captivity". Journal of Applied Animal Welfare Science. 22 (2): 159–170. doi:10.1080/10888705.2018.1453814. PMID 29609473. S2CID 4563883.
  17. ^ Nowakiewicz, Aneta; Ziółkowska, Grażyna; Zięba, Przemysław; Stępniewska, Katarzyna; Tokarzewski, Stanisław (1 April 2012). "Russian tortoises (Agrionemys horsfieldi) as a potential reservoir for Salmonella spp". Research in Veterinary Science. 92 (2): 187–190. doi:10.1016/j.rvsc.2011.03.019. PMID 21486674.
  18. ^ Healey, Mariah. "Russian Tortoise Care Sheet". ReptiFiles. Retrieved 19 January 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  19. ^ Bauer, Thomas; Reese, Sven; Koelle, Petra (3 April 2019). "Nutrition and husbandry conditions of Palearctic tortoises (Testudo spp.) in captivity". Journal of Applied Animal Welfare Science. 22 (2): 159–170. doi:10.1080/10888705.2018.1453814. PMID 29609473. S2CID 4563883.
  20. ^ "Russian Tortoise Diet". russiantortoise.org. Joe Heinen. 2002. Retrieved 7 January 2017.
  21. ^ Madrigal, Alexis C. (27 December 2012). "Who Was First in the Race to the Moon? The Tortoise". The Atlantic. Retrieved 22 February 2017.
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Russian tortoise: Brief Summary

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The Russian tortoise (Testudo horsfieldii), also commonly known as the Afghan tortoise, the Central Asian tortoise, Horsfield's tortoise, four-clawed tortoise, and the (Russian) steppe tortoise,as well as the "Four-Toed Tortoise" is a threatened species of tortoise in the family Testudinidae. The species is endemic to Central Asia from the Caspian Sea south through Iran, Pakistan and Afghanistan, and east across Kazakhstan to Xinjiang, China. Human activities in its native habitat contribute to its threatened status.

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