DOCSLIB.ORG

Ploughshare Tortoise (Astrochelys Yniphora) Natural Entrapment

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Ploughshare Tortoise (Astrochelys Yniphora) Natural Entrapment Herpetology Notes, volume 8: 485-487 (2015) (published online on 03 October 2015) Ploughshare Tortoise (Astrochelys yniphora) natural entrapment Andrea Currylow1,*, Andrew D. Walde2, Fidelis Filazaha3, Angelo Mandimbihasina4 and Lance Woolaver4 The Ploughshare Tortoise (Astrochelys yniphora; population (Pedrono et al., 2004). Therefore, it is crucial Vaillant, 1885) is the largest extant endemic tortoise that adult animals remain in good health within the wild on the island of Madagascar. The species is isolated populations. Herein, we describe an adult Ploughshare to a small area of mixed palm-savanna, bamboo-scrub, Tortoise found in peril in the wild. and dry deciduous forest of less than 160 km2 on the As part of ongoing monitoring studies of Malagasy northwest coast (Mandimbihasina and Woolaver, 2014). tortoises (Currylow, 2014; Mandimbihasina and Due to its rarity and attractive golden carapace, it has Currylow, 2014; Walker et al., 2014), we have been become an obsession among rare-wildlife collectors. conducting radiotelemetry tracking of wild Ploughshare This pressure from the international pet trade and its Tortoises since early 2012. On 9 March 2014 at highly restricted distribution has given the Ploughshare 16h30, we discovered an adult male Ploughshare Tortoise the unfortunate privilege of being the most Tortoise entrapped between two young Combretaceae endangered tortoise on the planet (Juvik et al., 1981; trees, Terminalia boivinii. The animal had apparently Hoogmoed and Vliet, 1985; Curl, 1986; Rhodin et al., attempted to traverse the gap when the width of its 2011; Kiester et al., 2013). shell prevented clearance. Upon attempts to free The greatest risk to the survival of a wild chelonian itself, the animal scraped the earth away from under population is the loss of the adults, which solely its feet, causing it to become suspended in place and contribute to the sustainability of a population (Congdon hopelessly entrapped (Figure 1). We are unaware of et al., 1993; 1994; Doak et al., 1994). Adults are now how long the animal remained in that position before beginning to be more commonly found for sale in illicit we found and freed it. At the time of discovery, the online pet markets and recent population surveys have ground temperature was 32.2 °C, air temperature 31.2 shown a significant decline of the wild adult population °C, ground humidity 88.8%, cloud cover 10%, and (Kiester et al., 2013; Mandimbihasina and Woolaver, canopy cover over the animal was estimated at 80%. 2014). Because the life-history of tortoises include The nearest conspecifics found that day were two adult delayed maturity coupled with an extremely long females radio-tracked within one hour and which were generation time equating to a slow reproductive rate, no more than 200 meters from the entrapped male. All reproductive adults are critical to the recovery of the three animals were in microhabitat classified as dense bamboo and shrub thicket at the time of encounter. A growing urban-wildlife interface means it is not terribly unusual for wild animals to become inadvertently entrapped, especially due to anthropogenic habitat alterations or devices. For example, in 1992 dozens 1 Department of Biological Science, University of Southern of the closely related Radiated Tortoise (Astrochelys California, Los Angeles, California, USA radiata) succumbed to overexposure in southern 2 Turtle Survival Alliance, Ft. Worth, Texas, USA Madagascar when they fell into an inadvertently created 3 Comité Local du Parc, Baly Bay National Park, Soalala, pitfall trap as part of new road construction (Goodman Boeny Region, Madagascar 4 Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust,���������� Lot �������49 J et al., 1994). Cattle grates along livestock fences Ampasanimalo, BP 8511 Antananarivo 101, Madagascar also act as pitfall traps, trapping and killing Angulate * Corresponding author e-mail: a.currylow�gmail.com Tortoises (Chersina angulata) and Padloper Tortoises 486 Andrea Currylow et al. Figure 1. An adult male Ploughshare Tortoise (Astrochelys yniphora: A�0021M) found suspended between two small trees within its native range in northwest Madagascar. (Photographed by FF). (Homopus sp.) in South Africa (J. Juvik pers. comm.). fieldwork has been awarded by the Turtle Conservation Fund, More exceptional however, are the instances such as Conservation �nternational, Turtle Conservancy, U.S. Fish that reported herein where herpetofauna may perish & Wildlife Service, University of Southern California, and personally by the authors. Equipment donations were provided by through becoming naturally entrapped. Rorabaugh �DEA W�LD, the Turtle Survival Alliance, and Holohil Systems (2003) described a Common Chuckwalla (Sauromalus Ltd. We would like to thank the personal support of our efforts by ater) which became skewered by an agave plant after Drs. A. Ross Kiester, James Juvik, and Craig Stanford. an apparent fall or leap from a nearby rock outcrop. Wilson and Topham (2009) report discovering two separate Mojave Desert Tortoise (Gopherus agassizii) References carcasses wedged vertically (head-down) in basalt flow Congdon, J.D., Dunham, A.E., Sels, R.C.V. (1993): Delayed sexual rock fractures, apparently having died from exposure maturity and demographics of Blanding’s Turtles (Emydoidea after falling and becoming stuck in the rock crack. This blandingii): implications for conservation and management of latter observation is similar in nature to one made by long-lived organisms. Conservation Biology 7: 826−833. Riedle et al. (2010), whereby two of 29 radio-tracked Congdon, J.D., Dunham, A.E., Sels, R.C.V. (1994): Demographics of common snapping turtles (Chelydra serpentina): �mplications Desert Tortoises tumbled down a steep rocky hillside for conservation and management of long-lived organisms. in the Sonoran Desert, leading to their eventual death American Zoologist 34: 397−408. from apparent overexposure as they were unable to right Curl, D.A. (1986): The rarest tortoise on earth. Oryx 20: 35−39. themselves in the rocky terrain. Currylow, A. (2014): No refuge at the end of the earth: beating Like many tortoise species, the Ploughshare Tortoise hustlers, poverty, and disease to save the Ploughshares. �n: The has adapted to undergo months-long periods of Tortoise magazine, vol. 1 p. 28−37. New York, New York, inactivity during the dry season. However, because USA, the Turtle Conservancy. these animals live in extreme environments, entrapment Doak, D., Kareiva, P., Klepetka, B. (1994): Modeling population viability for the Desert Tortoise in the western Mojave Desert. in the wrong place has the potential to turn fatal within Ecological Applications 4: 446−460. hours. Fortunately, the animal we discovered appeared Goodman, S.M., Pidgeon, M., O'Connor, S. (1994): Mass mortality to be in good health and was in an area of relatively of Madagascar Radiated Tortoise caused by road construction. high canopy cover, so was likely not at immediate risk Oryx 28: 115−118. of overexposure to direct sunlight. Hoogmoed, M.S., Vliet, K.A. (1985): Two reptiles among the 12 most threatened animals of the world. Amphibia-Reptilia 6: Acknowledgements. We thank Dr. Edward Louis, Jr. with 101−115. Madagascar Biodiversity Partnership and Madagascar National Juvik, J., Andrianarivo, A., Blanc, C. (1981): The ecology and Parks for local support of our fieldwork. Funding for associated status of Geochelone yniphora: a Critically Endangered tortoise Ploughshare Tortoise natural entrapment 487 in northwestern Madagascar. Biological Conservation 19: Riedle, J.D., Averill-Murray, R.C., Grandmaison, D.D. (2010): 297−316. Seasonal variation in survivorship and mortality of Desert Kiester, A.R., Mandimbihasina, A.R., Lewis, R.E., Goode, E.V., Tortoises in the Sonoran Desert, Arizona. Journal of Herpetology Juvik, J.O., �oung, R., Blanck, T. (2013): Conservation of 44: 164−167. the Angonoka (Ploughshare Tortoise), Astrochelys yniphora. Rorabaugh, J. (2003): Apparent accidental death: Chuckwalla Chelonian Research Monographs 6: 162−170. meets Agave. Sonoran Herpetologist 16: 44. Mandimbihasina, A.R., Currylow, A.F.T. (2014): New data on the Walker, R.C.J., Rafeliarisoa, T.H., Currylow, A.F., Rakotoniainae, naturally-occurring maximum sizes attained by Ploughshare J.C., Louis Jr., E.E. (2014): Short term monitoring reveals the Tortoises (Astrochelys yniphora). Herpetology Notes 7: rapid decline of southern Madagascar’s Critically Endangered 685−688. tortoise species. Herpetological Journal 24: 193−196. Mandimbihasina, A.R., Woolaver, L. (2014): Astrochelys yniphora Wilson, J.S., Topham, S. (2009): Gopherus agassizii (Desert Ploughshare tortoise. �n: Tortoises of the Western �ndian Ocean, Tortoise). Mortality. Herpetological Review 40: 335−336. p. 279−298. Mandimbihasina, A.R., Woolaver, L., Gerlach, J. Ed. Rochdale, UK, Siri Scientific Press. Pedrono, M., Smith, L.L., Clobert, J., Massot, M., Sarrazin, F. (2004): Wild-captive metapopulation viability analysis. Biological Conservation 119: 463-473. Rhodin, A.G.J., Walde, A.D., Horne, B.D., Dijk, P.P.v., Blanck, T., Hudson, R. (2011): Turtles in Trouble: The world’s 25+ most endagered tortoises and freshwater turtles−2011. Turtle Conservation Coalition. 54 pp. Accepted by Gonçalo Rosa.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Body Condition Assessment – As a Welfare and Management Assessment Tool for Radiated Tortoises (Astrochelys Radiata)
    Body condition assessment – as a welfare and management assessment tool for radiated tortoises (Astrochelys radiata) Hullbedömning - som ett verktyg för utvärdering av välfärd och skötsel av strålsköldpadda (Astrochelys radiata) Linn Lagerström Independent project • 15 hp Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, SLU Department of Animal Environment and Health Programme/Education Uppsala 2020 2 Body condition assessment – as a welfare and management tool for radiated tortoises (Astrochelys radiata) Hullbedömning - som ett verktyg för utvärdering av välfärd och skötsel av strålsköldpadda (Astrochelys radiata) Linn Lagerström Supervisor: Lisa Lundin, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Department of Animal Environment and Health Examiner: Maria Andersson, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Department of Animal Environment and Health Credits: 15 hp Level: First cycle, G2E Course title: Independent project Course code: EX0894 Programme/education: Course coordinating dept: Department of Aquatic Sciences and Assessment Place of publication: Uppsala Year of publication: 2020 Cover picture: Linn Lagerström Keywords: Tortoise, turtle, radiated tortoise, Astrochelys radiata, Geochelone radiata, body condition indices, body condition score, morphometrics Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences Faculty of Natural Resources and Agricultural Sciences Department of Animal Environment and Health 3 Publishing and archiving Approved students’ theses at SLU are published electronically. As a student, you have the copyright to your own work and need to approve the electronic publishing. If you check the box for YES, the full text (pdf file) and metadata will be visible and searchable online. If you check the box for NO, only the metadata and the abstract will be visiable and searchable online. Nevertheless, when the document is uploaded it will still be archived as a digital file.
    [Show full text]
  • English and French Cop17 Inf
    Original language: English and French CoP17 Inf. 36 (English and French only / Únicamente en inglés y francés / Seulement en anglais et français) CONVENTION ON INTERNATIONAL TRADE IN ENDANGERED SPECIES OF WILD FAUNA AND FLORA ____________________ Seventeenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties Johannesburg (South Africa), 24 September – 5 October 2016 JOINT STATEMENT REGARDING MADAGASCAR’S PLOUGHSHARE / ANGONOKA TORTOISE 1. This document has been submitted by the United States of America at the request of the Wildlife Conservation Society, Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust, Turtle Survival Alliance, and The Turtle Conservancy, in relation to agenda item 73 on Tortoises and freshwater turtles (Testudines spp.)*. 2. This species is restricted to a limited range in northwestern Madagascar. It has been included in CITES Appendix I since 1975 and has been categorized as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species since 2008. There has been a significant increase in the level of illegal collection and trafficking of this species to supply the high end pet trade over the last 5 years. 3. Attached please find the joint statement regarding Madagascar’s Ploughshare/Angonoka Tortoise, which is considered directly relevant to Document CoP17 Doc. 73 on tortoises and freshwater turtles. * The geographical designations employed in this document do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the CITES Secretariat (or the United Nations Environment Programme) concerning the legal status of any country, territory, or area, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. The responsibility for the contents of the document rests exclusively with its author.
    [Show full text]
  • Manual for the Differentiation of Captive-Produced and Wild-Caught Turtles and Tortoises (Testudines)
    Image: Peter Paul van Dijk Image:Henrik Bringsøe Image: Henrik Bringsøe Image: Andrei Daniel Mihalca Image: Beate Pfau MANUAL F O R T H E DIFFERENTIATION OF CAPTIVE-PRODUCED AND WILD-CAUGHT TURTLES AND TORTOISES (TESTUDINES) PREPARED BY SPECIES360 UNDER CONTRACT FOR THE CITES SECRETARIAT Manual for the differentiation of captive-produced and wild-caught turtles and tortoises (Testudines) This document was prepared by Species360 under contract for the CITES Secretariat. Principal Investigators: Prof. Dalia A. Conde, Ph.D. and Johanna Staerk, Ph.D., Species360 Conservation Science Alliance, https://www.species360.orG Authors: Johanna Staerk1,2, A. Rita da Silva1,2, Lionel Jouvet 1,2, Peter Paul van Dijk3,4,5, Beate Pfau5, Ioanna Alexiadou1,2 and Dalia A. Conde 1,2 Affiliations: 1 Species360 Conservation Science Alliance, www.species360.orG,2 Center on Population Dynamics (CPop), Department of Biology, University of Southern Denmark, Denmark, 3 The Turtle Conservancy, www.turtleconservancy.orG , 4 Global Wildlife Conservation, globalwildlife.orG , 5 IUCN SSC Tortoise & Freshwater Turtle Specialist Group, www.iucn-tftsG.org. 6 Deutsche Gesellschaft für HerpetoloGie und Terrarienkunde (DGHT) Images (title page): First row, left: Mixed species shipment (imaGe taken by Peter Paul van Dijk) First row, riGht: Wild Testudo marginata from Greece with damaGe of the plastron (imaGe taken by Henrik BrinGsøe) Second row, left: Wild Testudo marginata from Greece with minor damaGe of the carapace (imaGe taken by Henrik BrinGsøe) Second row, middle: Ticks on tortoise shell (Amblyomma sp. in Geochelone pardalis) (imaGe taken by Andrei Daniel Mihalca) Second row, riGht: Testudo graeca with doG bite marks (imaGe taken by Beate Pfau) Acknowledgements: The development of this manual would not have been possible without the help, support and guidance of many people.
    [Show full text]
  • The Conservation Biology of Tortoises
    The Conservation Biology of Tortoises Edited by Ian R. Swingland and Michael W. Klemens IUCN/SSC Tortoise and Freshwater Turtle Specialist Group and The Durrell Institute of Conservation and Ecology Occasional Papers of the IUCN Species Survival Commission (SSC) No. 5 IUCN—The World Conservation Union IUCN Species Survival Commission Role of the SSC 3. To cooperate with the World Conservation Monitoring Centre (WCMC) The Species Survival Commission (SSC) is IUCN's primary source of the in developing and evaluating a data base on the status of and trade in wild scientific and technical information required for the maintenance of biological flora and fauna, and to provide policy guidance to WCMC. diversity through the conservation of endangered and vulnerable species of 4. To provide advice, information, and expertise to the Secretariat of the fauna and flora, whilst recommending and promoting measures for their con- Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna servation, and for the management of other species of conservation concern. and Flora (CITES) and other international agreements affecting conser- Its objective is to mobilize action to prevent the extinction of species, sub- vation of species or biological diversity. species, and discrete populations of fauna and flora, thereby not only maintain- 5. To carry out specific tasks on behalf of the Union, including: ing biological diversity but improving the status of endangered and vulnerable species. • coordination of a programme of activities for the conservation of biological diversity within the framework of the IUCN Conserva- tion Programme. Objectives of the SSC • promotion of the maintenance of biological diversity by monitor- 1.
    [Show full text]
  • The Use of Extant Non-Indigenous Tortoises As a Restoration Tool to Replace Extinct Ecosystem Engineers
    OPINION ARTICLE The Use of Extant Non-Indigenous Tortoises as a Restoration Tool to Replace Extinct Ecosystem Engineers Christine J. Griffiths,1,2,3,4 Carl G. Jones,3,5 Dennis M. Hansen,6 Manikchand Puttoo,7 Rabindra V. Tatayah,3 Christine B. Muller,¨ 2,∗ andStephenHarris1 Abstract prevent the extinction and further degradation of Round We argue that the introduction of non-native extant tor- Island’s threatened flora and fauna. In the long term, the toises as ecological replacements for extinct giant tortoises introduction of tortoises to Round Island will lead to valu- is a realistic restoration management scheme, which is able management and restoration insights for subsequent easy to implement. We discuss how the recent extinctions larger-scale mainland restoration projects. This case study of endemic giant Cylindraspis tortoises on the Mascarene further highlights the feasibility, versatility and low-risk Islands have left a legacy of ecosystem dysfunction threat- nature of using tortoises in restoration programs, with par- ening the remnants of native biota, focusing on the island ticular reference to their introduction to island ecosystems. of Mauritius because this is where most has been inferred Overall, the use of extant tortoises as replacements for about plant–tortoise interactions. There is a pressing need extinct ones is a good example of how conservation and to restore and preserve several Mauritian habitats and restoration biology concepts applied at a smaller scale can plant communities that suffer from ecosystem dysfunction. be microcosms for more grandiose schemes and addresses We discuss ongoing restoration efforts on the Mauritian more immediate conservation priorities than large-scale offshore Round Island, which provide a case study high- ecosystem rewilding projects.
    [Show full text]
  • SC73 Doc. 24.1
    Original language: English SC73 Doc. 24.1 CONVENTION ON INTERNATIONAL TRADE IN ENDANGERED SPECIES OF WILD FAUNA AND FLORA ___________________ Seventy-third meeting of the Standing Committee Online, 5-7 May 2021 Species specific matters Tortoises and freshwater turtles (Testudines spp.) REPORT OF THE SECRETARIAT 1. This document has been prepared by the Secretariat. 2. At its 18th meeting (CoP18, Geneva, 2019), the Conference of the Parties adopted inter alia Decisions 18.286 and 18.287 on Tortoises and freshwater turtles (Testudines spp.), as follows: 18.286 Directed to Madagascar Madagascar should: a) review its implementation of Resolution Conf. 11.9 (Rev. CoP18) on Conservation of and trade in tortoises and freshwater turtles; and b) report to the 73rd meeting of the Standing Committee on its implementation of Resolution Conf. 11.9 (Rev. CoP18), including in its report, information on any seizures, arrests, prosecutions and convictions secured as a result of activities implemented to address illegal trade in tortoises from Madagascar. 18.287 Directed to the Standing Committee The Standing Committee shall review the report from Madagascar in accordance with Decision 18.286, and any recommendations from the Secretariat, and consider if any further measures need to be implemented by Madagascar to address illegal trade in tortoises as it affects the Party. 3. Pursuant to Decision 18.286, Madagascar submitted a report on its implementation of Resolution Conf. 11.9 (Rev. CoP18) on Conservation of and trade in tortoises and freshwater turtles to the Secretariat on 30 June 2020. The report, available as document SC73 Doc. 24.2, includes as an Annex the Regional strategy to combat trafficking in radiated tortoises (Astrochelys radiata) in the Atsimo-Andrefana region of Madagascar (Stratégie régionale de lutte contre le trafic de tortues radiées « Astrochelys radiata » dans la région Atismo Andrefana – in French only).
    [Show full text]
  • RADIATED TORTOISE Testudines Family: Testudinidae Genus: Astrochelys Species: Radiata
    RADIATED TORTOISE Testudines Family: Testudinidae Genus: Astrochelys Species: radiata Range: Southern Madagascar Habitat: dry regions of brush, thorn forests, and woodlands Niche: Terrestrial, diurnal, herbivorous Wild diet: grasses, fruit and succulent plants Zoo diet: Life Span: (Wild) 40 – 50 years (Captivity) up to 100 years Sexual dimorphism: Male has longer tail and more protruding scutes, the notch in the plastron beneath the tail is more noticeable. Location in SF Zoo: Children’s Zoo, Koret Animal Resource Center APPEARANCE & PHYSICAL ADAPTATIONS: The radiated tortoise has a high-domed carapace with yellow lines running down from the center of the dark plate of the shell. This pattern appears to radiate from the shell, hence the name, radiated tortoise. The radiating lines extend down the scutes, the shell’s plates. Its legs and feet are yellow as is its head, except for a black patch on top. This Weight: 35 lbs tortoise has a blunt head, and elephantine feet. Juveniles are black and off- white when they hatch, but quickly develop the adult's striking coloration. Length: 16 in Their strong legs and round, stumpy feet made for walking on land. Their front limbs are flattened with well-developed muscle and sharp claw-like scales adapted for burrowing. The shell is supplied with blood vessels and nerves so like other tortoises it can feel when being touched. STATUS & CONSERVATION The radiated tortoise is listed in Appendix I of CITES. These tortoises are critically endangered due to loss of habitat, being poached for food, and being over exploited in the pet trade. Some Chinese will pay the equivalent of $50 for a radiated tortoise to eat (they are also believed to have aphrodisiac properties).
    [Show full text]
  • Branding Ploughshare Tortoises
    N E W S Critically Endangered Ploughshare Tortoises: the smugglers, a Malagasy woman, was imprisoned, while the shells branded to reduce demand RWKHUD7KDLPDQZDVUHOHDVHGRQEDLO 6KHSKHUG These cases exemplify the urgent need for enforcement agencies to take the illegal trade in this species seriously. he Ploughshare Tortoise Astrochelys yniphora Reduced demand for the species in the international pet is highly threatened by persistent demand in trade and increased effective enforcement measures are the black market pet trade. As a result, its essential to end the decline of this species. numbers in the wild have been drastically The Turtle Conservancy, whose mission includes reduced to approximately 400 adult maintaining colonies of threatened and endangered specimens. Assessed as being Critically Endangered in T tortoises and freshwater turtles, aims to engrave Red List of Threatened Species the IUCN , these tortoises LGHQWL¿FDWLRQ PDUNV RQ DOO 3ORXJKVKDUH 7RUWRLVHV LQ are stolen by poachers who sell them to unscrupulous captive-breeding programmes and those remaining in traders, mainly in South-east Asia. WKHZLOG2Q-DQXDU\WKH7XUWOH&RQVHUYDQF\¶V The Ploughshare Tortoise is endemic to the Baly Behler Chelonian Center in Ventura County, USA, Bay area in north-western Madagascar (Leuteritz and branded the shells of two Ploughshare Tortoises that 3HGURQR ZKHUHLWLVWRWDOO\SURWHFWHGE\ODZ7KH KDGEHHQÀRZQLQIURP7DLZDQZKHUHWKH\ZHUHVHL]HG species is also listed in Appendix I of the Convention on LQ $QRQ 6RPH %XUPHVH 6WDUUHG International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna Tortoises Geochelone platynota &,7(6 $SSHQGL[ , DQG)ORUD &,7(6 PDNLQJDQ\LQWHUQDWLRQDOFRPPHUFLDO were similarly marked with the help of the Conservancy trade illegal. Yet demand from some countries, in LQ2FWREHU $QRQ particular Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand, combined with low levels of effective enforcement, continue to References push this striking species towards extinction (Shepherd DQG1LMPDQ6WHQJHOet al $QRQ Los Angeles Times, 14 January.
    [Show full text]
  • Descriptions of Some A.Frican Tortoises
    A"nals aftlte Natal Museum. Vol. VI, 1)(1ft 3 DESCRIPTIONS OF SOME AFRICAN TORTOISES. 46 1 Descriptions of some A.frican Tortoises. By John II C\\'itt. With P lates XXXVI-XXXVIII, and 5 Text. fi gul·es. CONTENTS. P elusios s inuatus s inu n.t us Smith J(j2 P elus ios s illu atus zuluensis H elQift 462 P ell1si os ni g r ica. ns n igricnns DonllC/. 4(\3 Pelus ios ni g ri can s castanoides SIIUS)1. n . 4(13 Peil1si os nigr icn.ns ca.stan e us Schw. 464 P elus ios nigricans rh odesianus H ellJi tt 465 Kinixys hellian!} Gray -I n? Kinixys nogll ey i Lataste ·HiS Kin ixys s pekii Gray. 469 Kinixys be lliana. zombensis sllbsp. '11. ·WO Kinixys belJin.nn. zulllon sis subs)1 . n. 47 1 Kinixys n. ustra lis 8p. It. 477 Kinixys da.rlingi Blgr. 4, 1 Kini xys jordn.ni sp . n . 482 Kinixys yonn gi ap. n. 4SG Kini xys lo bn.ts ia na Pou'er 488 H omopus WaMb. ..HHi Pseudomopus g. n . ·Hlli T estlld o L . 4!)H Neotestlldo g. n. 50" 462 JOHN HEWI'IT. THE material dealt wi th in this revi ew has bef' 1l derived from varioll s sources. A good portion of it is contained in the Albany Musemu, and for the loan of specimens I am especia.lly indebted to the Mu seums at Pretoria, Kimberley and Pietermaritzburg. It, may be .aid that the. present study again illustrates the fact t.hat the closer a group of organisms is studied and the wider the area from which they are obt.ained, the greater is the difficnlty ill formulating any clear diagnosis of specific characters.
    [Show full text]
  • Movement, Home Range and Habitat Use in Leopard Tortoises (Stigmochelys Pardalis) on Commercial
    Movement, home range and habitat use in leopard tortoises (Stigmochelys pardalis) on commercial farmland in the semi-arid Karoo. Martyn Drabik-Hamshare Submitted in fulfilment of the academic requirements for the degree of Master of Science in the Discipline of Ecological Sciences School of Life Sciences College of Agriculture, Engineering and Science University of KwaZulu-Natal Pietermaritzburg Campus 2016 ii ABSTRACT Given the ever-increasing demand for resources due to an increasing human population, vast ranges of natural areas have undergone land use change, either due to urbanisation or production and exploitation of resources. In the semi-arid Karoo of southern Africa, natural lands have been converted to private commercial farmland, reducing habitat available for wildlife. Furthermore, conversion of land to energy production is increasing, with areas affected by the introduction of wind energy, solar energy, or hydraulic fracturing. Such widespread changes affects a wide range of animal and plant communities. Southern Africa hosts the highest diversity of tortoises (Family: Testudinidae), with up to 18 species present in sub-Saharan Africa, and 13 species within the borders of South Africa alone. Diversity culminates in the Karoo, whereby up to five species occur. Tortoises throughout the world are undergoing a crisis, with at least 80 % of the world’s species listed at ‘Vulnerable’ or above. Given the importance of many tortoise species to their environments and ecosystems— tortoises are important seed dispersers, whilst some species produce burrows used by numerous other taxa—comparatively little is known about certain aspects relating to their ecology: for example spatial ecology, habitat use and activity patterns.
    [Show full text]
  • Growing and Shrinking in the Smallest Tortoise, Homopus Signatus Signatus: the Importance of Rain
    CORE Metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk Provided by Springer - Publisher Connector Oecologia (2007) 153:479–488 DOI 10.1007/s00442-007-0738-7 GLOBAL CHANGE AND CONSERVATION ECOLOGY Growing and shrinking in the smallest tortoise, Homopus signatus signatus: the importance of rain Victor J. T. Loehr · Margaretha D. Hofmeyr · Brian T. Henen Received: 21 November 2006 / Accepted: 21 March 2007 / Published online: 24 April 2007 © Springer-Verlag 2007 Abstract Climate change models predict that the range of dorso-ventrally, so a reduction in internal matter due to the world’s smallest tortoise, Homopus signatus signatus, starvation or dehydration may have caused SH to shrink. will aridify and contract in the next decades. To evaluate Because the length and width of the shell seem more rigid, the eVects of annual variation in rainfall on the growth of reversible bone resorption may have contributed to shrink- H. s. signatus, we recorded annual growth rates of wild age, particularly of the shell width and plastron length. individuals from spring 2000 to spring 2004. Juveniles Based on growth rates for all years, female H. s. signatus grew faster than did adults, and females grew faster than need 11–12 years to mature, approximately twice as long as did males. Growth correlated strongly with the amount of would be expected allometrically for such a small species. rain that fell during the time just before and within the However, if aridiWcation lowers average growth rates to the growth periods. Growth rates were lowest in 2002–2003, level of 2002–2003, females would require 30 years to when almost no rain fell between September 2002 and mature.
    [Show full text]
  • Radiated Tortoise Class: Reptilia
    Astrochelys radiata Radiated Tortoise Class: Reptilia. Order: Testudines. Family: Testudinidae. Other names: Sokakes (Malagasy). Physical Description: The radiated tortoise is considered to be one of the most beautiful tortoises due to the coloration of its carapace, which is brilliantly marked with yellow lines radiating from the center of each dark plate (scute) of the shell, which reflects the name of the tortoise. They can grow to a length of 16 inches and weigh up to 35 lbs. They have a highly-domed carapace, blunt head, and elephantine feet. Radiated tortoises have yellow limbs and a black patch on the top of their head. One of the most unique features of turtles and tortoises is their protective shell. Because of the shell, flight, running, and climbing are not evolutionary options! But some adaptive radiation occurs within the order. Turtles and tortoises inhabit marshes, lakes, rivers and the open sea, as well as forests, grasslands and deserts. The top shell is called the carapace and the bottom shell the plastron. The carapace develops from a layer of skin and the backbone and ribs are fused to the carapace. The plastron is developed from the bones of the shoulder girdle. The shell is so successful that it is the cornerstone of turtle design and lends to the lineage’s longevity while at the same time limiting species diversity. Diet in the Wild: Grasses, vegetation and succulents, especially certain species of cactus. Diet at the Zoo: Tortoise biscuits, mustard greens, collard greens, escarole, romaine, sweet potato, carrot and occasional fruit. Habitat & Range: Radiated tortoises are found only in the extreme south and southwestern part of the island of Madagascar, where they inhabit areas of dry brush, thorn forests, and dry woodlands.
    [Show full text]