Each egg typically measures some 36 x 30 mm and clutch density is typically 6-8, although large females may produce 12 or more eggs. By October-November both adults and hatchlings are entering hibernation. Tortoises dig in for hibernation under large rocks, or under the same shrubs employed for overnight scrapes. In the ruins of the Lycean cities of Xanthos and Kaunos many tortoises were encountered where they were generally well hidden amid the ancient stones and were effectively invisible to all but the most eagle-eyed of tourists. The ordinary Turkish people tend to look somewhat kindly on tortoises, considering it extremely bad luck to kill one.
Road traffic does account for some mortalities, but many drivers do seem to take avoiding action.
Wandering tortoises are not considered as agricultural pests, but rather as harbingers of good luck and fecundity to the land. Turkey almost certainly has one of the largest and most secure tortoise populations of any Mediterranean country, and I was especially encouraged to find a healthy number of both juveniles and animals of extreme old age. The Reptiles of Turkey. The turtles and lizards. Forskal nue fur die Turkei.