Other Definitions
tortoise (dict)
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Tortoise - For the band, see Tortoise (band).
Chersina
Dipsochelys
Furculachelys
Geochelone
Gopherus
Homopus
Indotestudo
Kinixys
Malacochersus
Manouria
Psammobates
Pyxis
Testudo 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 - Genus Chersina
- Genus Dipsochelys
- Genus Furculachelys
- Genus Geochelone
- Red-Footed Tortoise, Geochelone carbonaria
- Chaco Tortoise, Geochelone chilensis
- Yellow-Footed Tortoise, Geochelone denticulata
- Indian Star Tortoise, Geochelone elegans
- Galapagos Giant Tortoise, Geochelone nigra
- Leopard Tortoise, Geochelone pardalis
- Burmese Star Tortoise, Geochelone platynota
- Radiated Tortoise, Geochelone radiata
- African Spurred Tortoise (Sulcata Tortoise), Geochelone sulcata
- Angulated Tortoise, Geochelone yniphora
- Genus Gopherus
- Genus Homopus
- Genus Indotestudo
- Genus Kimixys
- Genus Malacochersus
- Genus Manouria
- Genus Psammobates
- Genus Pyxis
- Genus Testudo
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