Hermann 's tortoise - wikipedia Hermann 's tortoise Hermann 's tortoise Testudo hermanni hermanni on Majorca Conservation status Near Threatened ( IUCN 3.1 ) Scientific classification Kingdom : Animalia Phylum : Chordata Class : Reptilia Order : Testudines Suborder : Cryptodira Family : Testudinidae Genus : Testudo Species : T. hermanni Binomial name Testudo hermanni Gmelin, 1789 Range map. Western green population is hermanni, eastern blue boettgeri and red hercegovinensis. Synonyms T. h. hermanni Testudo hermanni Gmelin, 1789 Testudo graeca bettai Lataste, 1881 Testudo hermanni hermanni -- Wermuth, 1952 Testudo hermanni robertmertensi Wermuth, 1952 Protestudo hermanni -- Chkhikvadze, 1983 Agrionemys hermanni -- Gmira, 1993 Testudo hermanii ( sic ) Gerlach, 2001 ( ex errore ) Testudo hermannii ( sic ) Claude & Tong, 2004 ( ex errore ) Eurotestudo hermanni -- Lapparent de Broin et al., 2006 T. h. boettgeri Testudo graeca var. boettgeri Mojsisovics, 1889 Testudo graeca var. hercegovinensis F. Werner, 1899 Testudo enriquesi Parenzan, 1932 Testudo hermanni boettgeri -- Bour, 1987 Testudo boettgeri -- Artner, Budischek & Froschauer, 2000 Testudo hercegovinensis -- Perälä, 2002 Testudo boettgeri boettgeri -- Artner, 2003 Testudo boettgeri hercegovinensis -- Artner, 2003 Testudo hermanni hercegovinensis -- Vinke & Vinke, 2004 Eurotestudo boettgeri -- Lapperent de Broin et al., 2006 Eurotestudo hercegovinensis -- Lapparent de Broin et al., 2006 Hermann 's tortoise ( Testudo hermanni ) is one of five tortoise species traditionally placed in the genus Testudo, the others being the marginated tortoise ( T. marginata ), Greek tortoise ( T. graeca, or common tortoise ), Russian tortoise ( T. horsfieldii ), and Kleinmann 's tortoise ( T. kleinmanni, or Egyptian tortoise ). Two subspecies are known : the western Hermann 's tortoise ( T. h. hermanni ) and the eastern Hermann 's tortoise ( T. h. boettgeri ). Sometimes mentioned as a subspecies, T. h. peleponnesica is not yet confirmed to be genetically different from T. h. boettgeri. Contents 1 Etymology 2 Geographic range 3 Description and systematics 3.1 T. h. hermanni 3.2 T. h. boettgeri 4 Ecology 4.1 Breeding 5 In captivity 5.1 Sanctuaries 5.2 Hibernation 5.3 Reproduction 5.4 Hatching Hermann 's tortoise 6 See also 7 References 8 Sources 9 External links Etymology The specific epithet, hermanni, honors French naturalist Johann Hermann. The subspecific name, boettgeri, honors German herpetologist Oskar Boettger. Geographic range Testudo hermanni can be found throughout southern Europe. The western population ( T. h. hermanni ) is found in eastern Spain, southern France, the Balearic islands, Corsica, Sardinia, Sicily, south and central Italy ( Tuscany ). The eastern population ( T. h. boettgeri ) inhabits Serbia, Kosovo, Macedonia, Romania, Bulgaria, Albania, Turkey and Greece, while T. h. hercegovinensis populates the coasts of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, and Montenegro. Description and systematics Hermann 's tortoises are small to medium - sized tortoises from southern Europe. Young animals and some adults have attractive black and yellow - patterned carapaces, although the brightness may fade with age to a less distinct gray, straw, or yellow coloration. They have slightly hooked upper jaws and, like other tortoises, possess no teeth, just strong, horny beaks. Their scaly limbs are greyish to brown, with some yellow markings, and their tails bear a spur ( a horny spike ) at the tip. Adult males have particularly long and thick tails, and well - developed spurs, distinguishing them from females. The eastern subspecies T. h. boettgeri is much larger than the western T. h. hermanni, reaching sizes up to 28 cm ( 11 in ) in length. A specimen of this size may weigh 3 -- 4 kg ( 6.6 -- 8.8 lb ). T. h. hermanni rarely grows larger than 18 cm ( 7.1 in ). Some adult specimens are as small as 7 cm ( 2.8 in ). Male of T. h. hermanni Female of T. h. hermanni Female of T. h. boettgeri In 2006, Hermann 's tortoise was suggested to be moved to the genus Eurotestudo and to bring the subspecies to the rank of species ( Eurotestudo hermanni and Eurotestudo boettgeri ). Though some factors indicate this might be correct, the data at hand are not unequivocally in support and the relationships between Hermann 's and the Russian tortoise among each other and to the other species placed in Testudo are not robustly determined. Hence, it seems doubtful that the new genus will be accepted for now. The elevation of the subspecies to full species was tentatively rejected under the biological species concept at least, as there still seems significant gene flow. Of note, the rate of evolution as measured by mutations accumulating in the mtDNA differs markedly, with the eastern populations have evolved faster. This is apparently due to stronger fragmentation of the population on the mountainous Balkans during the last ice age. While this has no profound implications for taxonomy of this species, apart from suggesting that two other proposed subspecies are actually just local forms at present, it renders the use of molecular clocks in Testudo even more dubious and unreliable than they are for turtles in general. T. h. Hermanni The subspecies T. h. hermanni includes the former subspecies T. h. robertmertensi and has a number of local forms. It has a highly arched shell with an intensive coloration, with its yellow coloration making a strong contrast to the dark patches. The colors wash out somewhat in older animals, but the intense yellow is often maintained. The underside has two connected black bands along the central seam. The coloration of the head ranges from dark green to yellowish, with isolated dark patches. A particular characteristic is a yellow fleck on the cheek found in most specimens, although not in all ; T. h. robertmertensi is the name of a morph with very prominent cheek spots. Generally, the forelegs have no black pigmentation on their undersides. The base of the claws is often lightly colored. The tail in males is larger than in females and possesses a spike. Generally, the shell protecting the tail is divided. A few specimens can be found with undivided shells, similar to the Greek tortoise. Var colouring Apulian colouring Sardinian colouring T. h. Boettgeri The subspecies T. h. hercegovinensis, known as the Dalmatian tortoise, ( Balkans coast ) and the local T. h. peloponnesica ( southwestern Peloponnesus coast ) are now included here ; they constitute local forms that are not yet geographically or in other ways reproductively isolated and apparently, derive from relict populations of the last ice age. The eastern Hermann 's tortoises also have arched, almost round carapaces, but some are notably flatter and more oblong. The coloration is brownish with a yellow or greenish hue and with isolated black flecks. The coloring tends to wash out quite strongly in older animals. The underside is almost always solid horn color and has separate black patches on either side of the central seam. The head is brown to black, with fine scales. The forelegs similarly possess fine scales. The limbs generally have five claws, which are darkly colored at their base. The hind legs are noticeably thicker than the forelegs, almost plump. The particularly strong tail ends in a spike, which may be very large in older male specimens. Females have noticeably smaller tail spikes, which are slightly bent toward the body. Adult female, Bulgaria Female T. h. boettgeri ( left ) and T. h. hercegovinensis tail openings Female T. h. peloponnesica Ecology Early in the morning, the animals leave their nightly shelters, which are usually hollows protected by thick bushes or hedges, to bask in the sun and warm their bodies. They then roam about the Mediterranean meadows of their habitat in search of food. They determine which plants to eat by the sense of smell. ( In captivity, they are known to eat dandelions, clover, and lettuce, as well as the leaves, flowers, and pods of almost all legumes. ) In addition to leaves and flowers, the animals eat small amounts of fruits as supplementary nutrition. Around midday, the sun becomes too hot for the tortoises, so they return to their hiding places. They have a good sense of direction to enable them to return. Experiments have shown they also possess a good sense of time, the position of the sun, the magnetic lines of the earth, and for landmarks. In the late afternoon, they leave their shelters again and return to feeding. In late February, Hermann 's tortoises emerge from under bushes or old rotting wood, where they spend the winter months hibernating, buried in a bed of dead leaves. Immediately after surfacing from their winter resting place, Hermann 's tortoises commence courtship and mating. Courtship is a rough affair for the female, which is pursued, rammed, and bitten by the male, before being mounted. Aggression is also seen between rival males during the breeding season, which can result in ramming contests. Between May and July, female Hermann 's tortoises deposit between two and 12 eggs into flask - shaped nests dug into the soil, up to 10 cm ( 3.9 in ) deep. Most females lay more than one clutch each season. The pinkish - white eggs are incubated for around 90 days and, like many reptiles, the temperature at which the eggs are incubated determines the hatchlings sex. At 26 ° C, only males will be produced, while at 30 ° C, all the hatchlings will be female. Young Hermann 's tortoises emerge just after the start of the heavy autumn rains in early September and spend the first four or five years of their lives within just a few metres of their nests. If the rains do not come, or if nesting took place late in the year, the eggs will still hatch, but the young will remain underground and not emerge until the following spring. Until the age of six or eight, when the hard shell becomes fully developed, the young tortoises are very vulnerable to predators and may fall prey to rats, badgers, magpies, foxes, wild boar, and many other animals. If they survive these threats, the longevity of Hermann 's tortoises is around 30 years. One rare record of longevity is 31.7 years. Compared to other tortoises ( e.g. Testudo graeca ), the longevity might be underestimated and many sources are reporting they might live 90 years or more. Breeding A female of T. h. boettgeri subspecies laying eggs in soil pit A hatchling of T. h. hermanni Breeding and upbringing of Hermann 's tortoises are quite easy if kept in species - appropriate environments. The European Studbook Foundation maintains stud books for both subspecies. With the help of ultraviolet light - emitting bulbs ( UVa and UVb, such as Repti Glo and Creature World ), the correct environment for breeding can be created and bring tortoises into breeding condition. In captivity Sanctuaries Several tortoise sanctuaries are located in Europe, such as Carapax in southern Tuscany, and Le Village Des Tortues in the south of France ( near Gonfaron ). These sanctuaries rescue injured tortoises whilst also taking in unwanted pets, and specialize in Hermann 's tortoises. The UK, with its large captive population, also has many specialist centers providing rescue facilities. Hibernation In nature, the animals dig their nightly shelters out and spend the relatively mild Mediterranean winters there. During this time, their heart and breathing rates drop notably. Domestic animals can be kept in the basement in a roomy rodent - proof box with a thick layer of dry leaves. The temperature should be around 5 ° C. As an alternative, the box can be stored in a refrigerator. For this method to be used, the refrigerator should be in regular day - to - day use, to permit air flow. During hibernation, the ambient temperature must not fall below zero. Full - grown specimens may sleep four to five months at a time. Reproduction Hermann 's tortoises can mate at any time of the year. Females dig flask - shaped holes to lay their eggs in, and eggs take 90 -- 120 days to hatch. The sex of the hatchlings is determined by the incubation temperature. Hatching Hermann 's tortoise 12 : 02 12 : 32 12 : 42 12 : 46 14 : 47 See also Turtles portal Mediterranean tortoise List of reptiles of Italy References Jump up ^ van Dijk, P.P. ; Corti, C. ; Mellado, V.P. & Cheylan, M. ( 2004 ). `` Testudo hermanni ''. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN. 2004 : e. T21648A9306057. doi : 10.2305 / IUCN. UK. 2004. RLTS. T21648A9306057. en. Retrieved 24 December 2017. Jump up ^ Fritz, Uwe ; Havaš, Peter ( 2007 ). `` Checklist of Chelonians of the World '' ( PDF ). Vertebrate Zoology. 57 ( 2 ) : 299 -- 301. Archived from the original ( PDF ) on 17 December 2010. Retrieved 29 May 2012. ^ Jump up to : 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. ( Testudo hermanni, p. 121 ; T. h. boettgeri, p. 29 ). Jump up ^ Burnie D ( 2001 ). Animal. London : Dorling Kindersley. ^ Jump up to : Bonin F, Devaux B, Dupré A ( 2006 ). Turtles of the World. London : A&C Black Publishers Ltd. ^ Jump up to : Ernst CH, Altenburg RGM, Barbour RW ( 1997 ). Turtles of the World. Netherlands : ETI Information Systems Ltd. Jump up ^ de Lapparent de Broin ( 2006 ). Jump up ^ Fritz et al. ( 2005 ). ^ Jump up to : Fritz et al. ( 2006 ). Jump up ^ Avise et al. ( 1992 ). Jump up ^ van der Kuyl et al. ( 2005 ). Jump up ^ Wegehaupt, Manuel. `` An Excursion into the Natural Habitats of the Dalmatian Tortoise ''. www.testudo-farm.de. Testudo Farm. Archived from the original on 5 February 2016. Retrieved 9 October 2017. CS1 maint : BOT : original - url status unknown ( link ) ^ Jump up to : Reptiles and amphibians in captivity - Longevity. Jump up ^ Castanet J ( 1994 ). `` Age estimation and longevity in reptiles ''. Gerontology 40 ( 2 - 4 ) : 174 - 192. Jump up ^ How to Care for a Hermann 's tortoise. Sources This article incorporates text from the ARKive fact - file `` Hermann 's tortoise '' under the Creative Commons Attribution - ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License and the GFDL. External links Avise, John C. ; Bowen, Brian W. ; Lamb, Trip ; Meylan, Anne B. & Bermingham, Eldredge ( 1992 ). `` Mitochondrial DNA evolution at a turtle 's pace : evidence for low genetic variability and reduced microevolutionary rate in the Testudines ''. Mol. Biol. Evol. 9 ( 3 ) : 457 - 473. PDF fulltext. de Lapparent de Broin, France ; Bour, Roger ; Parham, James F. & Perälä, Jarmo ( 2006 ). `` Eurotestudo, a new genus for the species Testudo hermanni Gmelin, 1789 ( Chelonii, Testudinidae ) ''. Les Comptes rendus de l'Académie des sciences 5 ( 6 ) : 803 - 811. doi : 10.1016 / j. crpv. 2006.03. 002 PDF fulltext. ( in English with French abstract ). Fritz, Uwe ; Kiroký, Pavel ; Kami, Hajigholi ; Wink, Michael ( 2005 ). `` Environmentally caused dwarfism or a valid species - Is Testudo weissingeri Bour, 1996 a distinct evolutionary lineage ? New evidence from mitochondrial and nuclear genomic markers ''. Mol. Phylogenet. Evol. 37 ( 2 ) : 389 -- 401. doi : 10.1016 / j. ympev. 2005.03. 007 PDF fulltext. Fritz, Uwe ; Auer, Markus ; Bertolero, Albert ; Cheylan, Marc ; Fattizzo, Tiziano ; Hundsdörfer, Anna K. ; Sampayo, Marcos Martín ; Pretus, Joan L. ; Široký, Pavel ; Wink, Michael ( 2006 ). `` A rangewide phylogeography of Hermann 's tortoise, Testudo hermanni ( Reptilia : Testudines : Testudinidae ) : implications for taxonomy ''. Zool. Scripta 35 ( 5 ) : 531 - 548. doi : 10.1111 / j. 1463 - 6409.2006. 00242. x PDF fulltext. van der Kuyl, Antoinette C. ; Ballasina, Donato L. Ph. ; Zorgdrager, Fokla ( 2005 ). `` Mitochondrial haplotype diversity in the tortoise species Testudo graeca from North Africa and the Middle East ''. BMC Evol. Biol. 5 : 29. doi : 10.1186 / 1471 - 2148 - 5 - 29 ( HTML / PDF fulltext + supplementary material ). Henley, Jon ( December 9, 2005 ). `` Rare tortoise puts brakes on high - speed train link ''. The Guardian. Retrieved 2008 - 07 - 22. Hermann 's tortoise media at ARKive. Guide to keeping Hermann 's Tortoises. Breeding Hermann 's Tortoises. Testudo hermanni ( Hermann 's tortoise ). Tortoise family of turtles ( Testudinidae ) Genus Species of the tortoise family Aldabrachelys Aldabra giant tortoise Astrochelys Angonoka tortoise Radiated tortoise Chelonoidis Yellow - footed tortoise Chaco tortoise Galápagos tortoise ( species ) Red - footed tortoise Chersina Angulate tortoise Centrochelys African spurred tortoise Cylindraspis † Domed Mauritius giant tortoise † Domed Rodrigues giant tortoise † Réunion giant tortoise † Saddle - backed Mauritius giant tortoise † Saddle - backed Rodrigues giant tortoise † Geochelone Burmese star tortoise Indian star tortoise Gopherus Bolson tortoise Desert tortoise Gopher tortoise Sonoran Desert tortoise Texas tortoise Homopus Common padloper Nama padloper Karoo padloper Greater padloper Speckled padloper Indotestudo Elongated tortoise Forsten 's tortoise Travancore tortoise Kinixys Bell 's hinge - back tortoise Forest hinge - back tortoise Home 's hinge - back tortoise Lobatse hinge - back tortoise Natal hinge - back tortoise Speke 's hinge - back tortoise Malacochersus Pancake tortoise Manouria Asian forest tortoise Impressed tortoise Psammobates Geometric tortoise Serrated tortoise Tent tortoise Pyxis Flat - backed spider tortoise Spider tortoise Stigmochelys Leopard tortoise Testudo Hermann 's tortoise Kleinmann 's tortoise Marginated tortoise Russian tortoise Spur - thighed tortoise Phylogenetic arrangement based on turtles of the world 2012 update : annotated checklist. Key : † = extinct. Extant turtle taxonomy Kingdom : Animalia Phylum : Chordata Class : Reptilia Subclass : Anapsida Order : Chelonii or Testudines Suborder Superfamily Family Subfamily Genus Cryptodira Chelydridae Chelydra Macrochelys Chelonioidea Cheloniidae Carettinae Caretta Lepidochelys Cheloniinae Chelonia Eretmochelys Natator Dermochelyidae Dermochelys Kinosternoidea Dermatemydidae Dermatemys Kinosternidae Kinosterninae Kinosternon Sternotherus Staurotypinae Claudius Staurotypus Testudinoidea Emydidae Deirochelyinae Chrysemys Deirochelys Graptemys Malaclemys Pseudemys Trachemys Emydinae Clemmys Emys Glyptemys Terrapene Geoemydidae Geoemydinae Batagur Cuora Cyclemys Geoclemys Geoemyda Hardella Heosemys Leucocephalon Malayemys Mauremys Melanochelys Morenia Notochelys Orlitia Pangshura Sacalia Siebenrockiella Vijayachelys Rhinoclemmydinae Rhinoclemmys Platysternidae Platysternon Testudinidae Aldabrachelys Astrochelys Chelonoidis Chersina Cylindraspis Geochelone Gopherus Homopus Indotestudo Kinixys Malacochersus Manouria Psammobates Pyxis Stigmochelys Testudo Trionychia Carettochelyidae Carettochelys Trionychidae Cyclanorbinae Cyclanorbis Cycloderma Lissemys Trionychinae Amyda Apalone Chitra Dogania Nilssonia Palea Pelochelys Pelodiscus Rafetus Trionyx Pleurodira Chelidae Chelinae Acanthochelys Chelus Mesoclemmys Phrynops Platemys Rhinemys Chelodininae Chelodina Elseya Elusor Emydura Flaviemys Myuchelys Pseudemydura Rheodytes Hydromedusinae Hydromedusa Pelomedusidae Pelomedusa Pelusios Podocnemididae Erymnochelys Peltocephalus Podocnemis Phylogenetic arrangement based on turtles of the world 2012 update : annotated checklist. Extinct turtles not included. Portal Book See also List of Testudines families GND : 4158193 - 3 Taxon identifiers Wd : Q262555 ADW : Testudo_hermanni ARKive : testudo - hermanni BioLib : 340 EoL : 1055218 Fauna Europaea : 214791 Fossilworks : 94333 GBIF : 2441454 iNaturalist : 71212 ITIS : 551866 IUCN : 21648 NCBI : 86976 Species+ : 10582 Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Hermann%27s_tortoise&oldid=828000573 '' Categories : IUCN Red List near threatened species Testudo ( genus ) Turtles of Asia Turtles of Europe Endemic reptiles of the Iberian Peninsula Reptiles of the Middle East Species endangered by agricultural development Species endangered by agricultural pollution Species endangered by pollution Species endangered by urbanization Species endangered by fires Species endangered by the pet trade Species endangered by roadkill Species endangered by tourism Species endangered by disease Species endangered by human consumption for medicinal or magical purposes Near threatened animals Near threatened biota of Asia Near threatened biota of Europe Reptiles described in 1789 Hidden categories : CS1 maint : BOT : original - url status unknown Articles with ' species ' microformats All articles with unsourced statements Articles with unsourced statements from July 2011 Wikipedia articles incorporating text from ARKive ARKive links Wikipedia articles with GND identifiers Talk Contents About Wikipedia Wikispecies Български Boarisch Català Cebuano Čeština Corsu Dansk Deutsch Español Euskara فارسی Français Galego Հայերեն Hrvatski Italiano Latina Lietuvių Magyar Nederlands 日本 語 پنجابی Polski Русский Sardu Simple English Slovenčina Српски / srpski Suomi Svenska Türkçe Українська Tiếng Việt Winaray 中文 27 more Edit links This page was last edited on 27 February 2018, at 23 : 50. 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Question: how many claws does a hermann tortoise have
Answer: five claws