The Burmese Star Tortoise (Geochelone platynota) is becoming extinct in its native Myanmar (Burma). It lives in the dry, deciduous forest, and is eaten both by the native Burmese, and is traded to the Chinese, where it is sometimes found in the food markets. It is on CITES Appendix II, meaning a permit from the country of export is required. Reportedly, Myanmar has never granted a export permit, meaning most captive bred are originally from illegal tortoises, or imports grandfathered in prior to the CITES listing. The conservation status of a species is an indicator of the likelihood of that species continuing to survive. ... Scientific classification - Wikipedia /**/ @import /skins/monobook/IE50Fixes. ... Phyla Subkingdom Parazoa Porifera (sponges) Subkingdom Agnotozoa Placozoa Orthonectida Rhombozoa Subkingdom Metazoa Radiata Cnidaria Ctenophora - Comb jellies Bilateria Protostomia Acoelomorpha Platyhelminthes - Flatworms Nemertina - Ribbon worms Gastrotricha Gnathostomulida - Jawed worms Micrognathozoa Rotifera - Rotifers Acanthocephala Priapulida Kinorhyncha Loricifera Entoprocta Nematoda - Roundworms Nematomorpha - Horsehair worms Cycliophora Mollusca - Mollusks Sipuncula - Peanut worms Annelida - Segmented... Typical Classes Subphylum Urochordata - Tunicates Ascidiacea Thaliacea Larvacea Subphylum Cephalochordata - Lancelets Subphylum Myxini - Hagfishes Subphylum Vertebrata - Vertebrates Petromyzontida - Lampreys Placodermi (extinct) Chondrichthyes - Cartilaginous fishes Acanthodii (extinct) Actinopterygii - Ray-finned fishes Actinistia - Coelacanths Dipnoi - Lungfishes Amphibia - Amphibians Reptilia - Reptiles Aves - Birds Mammalia - Mammals Chordates (phylum Chordata) include the vertebrates, together with... Orders Crocodilia - Crocodilians scary crocodiles. ... Families See text Turtles are reptiles of the order Testudinata, most of whose body is shielded by a special bony shell developed from their ribs. ... For the band, see Tortoise (band). ... In biology, binomial nomenclature is a standard convention used for naming species. ... Edward Blyth (December 23, 1810 - December 27, 1873) was an English zoologist. ... 1863 is a common year starting on Thursday. ... The Union of Myanmar, also known as Burma, is a country in Southeast Asia. ... The Great Wall of China, stretching over 6,700 km, was erected beginning in the 3rd century BC to guard the north from raids by men on horses. ...
This tortoise can easily be distinguished from the more common Indian Star Tortoise by comparing the plastrons of the two species. It is considered critically endangered by the IUCN's Redlist (see www.redlist.org). One recent expedition searched for the Burmese star for 400 hours, and only found 5 tortoises. This was with specially trained dogs and 5 volunteers. An endangered species is a species whose population is so small that it is in danger of becoming extinct. ...
In Europe, tortoise is the name given to the land-dwelling reptiles most of whose body is shielded by a special shell.
The giant tortoises of the Galapagos Islands helped Charles Darwin formulate his theory of evolution, since the isolated populations on the different islands, although descend from a common ancestor, had diverged to different forms.
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).
As with its aquatic cousins, the turtle and the terrapin, the tortoise is shielded from predators by a shell.
Tortoises generally have a lifespan comparable with that of human beings and parakeets, and some individuals being known to have lived longer than 150 years.
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.