VulnerableCommon Tortoise
Testudo graeca
One of the 41 turtles and tortoises on WAnimals
Reptiles · Testudines · Testudinidae
Testudo horsfieldii
At high risk of extinction in the wild over the medium term.
The steppe tortoise or Horsfield's tortoise lives on the arid steppes of Central Asia and spends most of the year underground: it is active for only about three months, between the thaw and the withering of the spring vegetation, and spends the rest buried, hibernating in winter and aestivating in summer. It was the first animal to travel around the Moon.
Weight
1 kg – 2.5 kg
Size
15 cm – 25 cm
Life expectancy
50 years
Diet
Herbivore
Feeds mainly on plants.
Activity
Diurnal
Active mainly during the day.
Social structure
Solitary
Lives and hunts alone, joining others only to breed.
Sighting difficulty
Moderate
Sources consulted: https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Testudo_horsfieldii
The pins mark the parks where its presence is documented.
Parks and dive sites where this species has been documented — showing 10 of 12.
Other species in the catalogue with the most in common with Steppe Tortoise — same habitat, park, country, tags or family.
The steppe tortoise is classified as vulnerable. Organisations such as the IUCN, WWF and the Wildlife Conservation Society work specifically on its conservation and that of its habitat; looking into their programmes is a good starting point if you want to get involved.
It's documented in 7 protected areas — one reason why protecting these places matters for its conservation.
Based on what we already know about steppe tortoise.
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