For the band, see Tortoise (band).

Tortoise is the name given to the land-dwelling reptiles most of whose body is shielded by a special shell. Turtles and terrapins are the aquatic species. All living tortoises are members of the order Testudines.

Tortoises have both an endoskeleton and an exoskeleton. All tortoises have a protective shell around their bodies. The top part of their case is called the carapace, the underside is the plastron, and the two are connected by the bridge.

The size of tortoises can vary from a few centimetres to up to two meters. Tortoises generally live a long time, some individuals being known to have lived longer than 150 years. Because of this, they symbolize longevity in some cultures, such as China. The oldest tortoise (or living animal) ever recorded is Tui Malila, of Tonga.

The giant tortoises of the Galapagos 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. One of Darwin's tortoises, named Harriet, is believed to still be alive and living in an Australian zoo.

All land tortoises are herbivorous in the wild.

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).

Partial species list:

• Bowsprit Tortoise, Chersine angulata
• Dipsochelys abrupta Extinct
• Arnold's Giant Tortoise, Dipsochelys arnoldi Extinct in the wild
• Dipsochelys daudinii Extinct
• Aldabra Giant Tortoise, Dipsochelys dussumieri Conservation status: Vulnerable
• Dipsochelys grandidieri Extinct
• Seychelles Giant Tortoise, Dipsochelys hololissa Extinct in the wild
• Tunisian Spur-thigh Tortoise, Furculachelys nabeulensis
• Red-Footed Tortoise, Geochelone carbonaria
• Chaco Tortoise, Geochelone chilensis Conservation status: Vulnerable
• Yellow-Footed Tortoise, Geochelone denticulata Conservation status: Vulnerable
• Indian Star Tortoise, Geochelone elegans
• Galapagos Giant Tortoise, Geochelone nigra Conservation status: Vulnerable
• Leopard Tortoise, Geochelone pardalis
• Burmese Star Tortoise, Geochelone platynota Conservation status: Critical
• Radiated Tortoise, Geochelone radiata Conservation status: Vulnerable
• African Spurred Tortoise(Sulcata Tortoise), Geochelone sulcata
• Angulated Tortoise, Geochelone yniphora Conservation status: Endangered
• Desert Tortoise, Gopherus agassizii Vulnerable
• Texas Tortoise, Gopherus berlandieri
• Bolson Tortoise, Gopherus flavomarginatus Vulnerable
• Gopher Tortoise, Gopherus polyphemus Vulnerable
• Parrot-Beaked Cape Tortoise, Homopus aerolatus
• Boulenger's Cape Tortoise, Homopus boulengeri
• Karroo Cape Tortoise, Homopus femoralis
• Speckled Cape Tortoise, Homopus signatus Conservation status: Lower Risk
• Berger's Cape Tortoise, Homopus bergeri Vulnerable
• Elongated Tortoise, Indotestudo elongata Conservation status: Endangered
• Travancore Tortoise, Indotestudo forsteni Conservation status: Endangered
• Bell's Hinge-Backed Tortoise, Kinixys belliana
• Serrated Hinge-Backed Tortoise, Kinixys erosa Conservation status: Data Deficient
• Home's Hinge-Backed Tortoise, Kinixys homeana Conservation status: Data Deficient
• Natal Hinge-Backed Tortoise, Kinixys natalensis Conservation status: Lower Risk
• Kinixys spekii
• Pancake Tortoise, Malacochersus tornieri Vulnerable
• Brown Tortoise / Mountain Tortoise, Manouria emys Conservation status: Endangered
• Impressed Tortoise, Manouria impressa Vulnerable
• Geometric Tortoise, Psammobates geometricus Conservation status: Endangered
• Serrated Star Tortoise, Psammobates oculiferus
• African Tent Tortoise, Psammobates tentorius
• Madagascan Spider Tortoise, Pyxis arachnoides Vulnerable
• Madagascan Flat-Tailed Tortoise, Pyxis planicauda Endangered
• Greek Tortoise, Spur-Thighed Tortoise, Testudo graeca Vulnerable
• Herman's Tortoise, Testudo hermanni Conservation status: Lower Risk
• Russian Tortoise, Horsfield's Tortoise, Testudo horsfieldii Vulnerable
• Egyptian Tortoise, Testudo kleinmanni Conservation status: Critical
• Negev Tortoise, Testudo werneri Conservation status: Critical
• Marginated Tortoise, Testudo marginata

Image gallery

External links

• Internationale Schildkröten Vereinigung (http://www.isv.cc)
• Gulf Coast Turtle and Tortoise Society (http://www.gctts.org)

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