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"Testudinidae."
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Tortoises
\"A look at tortoises, including their habitats, physical characteristics such as their domed shells, behaviors, relationships with humans, and protected status in the world today\"--Provided by publisher.
Book
Global Conservation Status of Turtles and Tortoises (Order Testudines)
We present a review and analysis of the conservation status and International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) threat categories of all 360 currently recognized species of extant and recently extinct turtles and tortoises (Order Testudines). Our analysis is based on the 2018 IUCN Red List status of 251 listed species, augmented by provisional Red List assessments by the IUCN Tortoise and Freshwater Turtle Specialist Group (TFTSG) of 109 currently unlisted species of tortoises and freshwater turtles, as well as re-assessments of several outdated IUCN Red List assessments. Of all recognized species of turtles and tortoises, this combined analysis indicates that 20.0% are Critically Endangered (CR), 35.3% are Critically Endangered or Endangered (CR+EN), and 51.9% are Threatened (CR+EN+Vulnerable). Adjusting for the potential threat levels of Data Deficient (DD) species indicates that 56.3% of all data-sufficient species are Threatened. We calculated percentages of imperiled species and modified Average Threat Levels (ATL; ranging from Least Concern = 1 to Extinct = 8) for various taxonomic and geographic groupings. Proportionally more species in the subfamily Geoemydinae (Asian members of the family Geoemydidae) are imperiled (74.2% CR+EN, 79.0% Threatened, 3.89 ATL) compared to other taxonomic groupings, but the families Podocnemididae, Testudinidae, and Trionychidae and the superfamily Chelonioidea (marine turtles of the families Cheloniidae and Dermochelyidae) also have high percentages of imperiled species and ATLs (42.9-50.0% CR+EN, 73.8-100.0% Threatened, 3.44-4.06 ATL). The subfamily Rhinoclemmydinae (Neotropical turtles of the family Geoemydidae) and the families Kinosternidae and Pelomedusidae have the lowest percentages of imperiled species and ATLs (0%-7.4% CR+EN, 7.4%-13.3% Threatened, 1.65-1.87 ATL). Turtles from Asia have the highest percentages of imperiled species (75.0% CR+EN, 83.0% Threatened, 3.98 ATL), significantly higher than predicted based on the regional species richness, due to much higher levels of exploitation in that geographic region. The family Testudinidae has the highest ATL (4.06) of all Testudines due to the extinction of several species of giant tortoises from Indian and Pacific Ocean islands since 1500 CE. The family Testudinidae also has an ATL higher than all other larger polytypic families (≥ 5 species) of Reptilia or Amphibia. The order Testudines is, on average, more imperiled than all other larger orders (≥ 20 species) of Reptilia, Amphibia, Mammalia, or Aves, but has percentages of CR+EN and Threatened species and an ATL (2.96) similar to those of Primates and Caudata (salamanders).
Journal Article
Tortoises
\"Carefully leveled text in a narrative format couple with vibrant photograph to explore the appearance and behavior of a variety of tortoise species. Includes picture glossary and index\"-- Provided by publisher.
Book
Tortoises of the World
The first book dedicated entirely to the fascinating ecology of the world's tortoises. Tortoises of the World is the only book to offer a comprehensive exploration of the biology, natural history, and conservation of the fascinating family Testudinidae. Renowned reptile scientist George R. Zug and acclaimed science writer Devin A. Reese bring a wealth of research to life in this beautifully illustrated volume, the first dedicated wholly to tortoises. Focusing on the diversity of the 47 known tortoise species and their evolution from ancestral turtles, this approachable and informative work explores: • Tortoise adaptations, their unique body plan, and their behavioral ecology • The odd anatomy and physiology that enables tortoises' life in shells • Their resilience to extreme temperatures and aridity • Tortoises' role as ecosystem engineers in the diverse habitats they occupy • Their intricate life cycle, from mating rituals and nesting to the tenuous survival of eggs and hatchlings Zug and Reese also examine the challenging nature of interactions between tortoises and humans while highlighting ongoing conservation efforts to secure their futures.
eBook
Large Pleistocene tortoise tracks on the Cape south coast of South Africa
Although tortoises (Testudinidae) are a familiar clade of reptiles, with a body fossil record extending to at least the Eocene, hitherto no tortoise ichnosites have been described. Here, a number of sites attributed to tortoise trackmakers are identified within Pleistocene aeolianites on South Africa's Cape south coast. These date from late Marine Isotope Stage 6 to Marine Isotope Stage 4. The findings indicate large trackmakers, with evidence of a trackmaker length of more than a meter—substantially longer than the largest extant tortoises in southern Africa. This suggests either the presence of an extinct very large tortoise species, or that Pleistocene leopard tortoises in the region were larger than their descendants. Variations in substrate properties are responsible for a variety of track and trace forms. A mismatch exists between the reported ichnological evidence for large tortoises, and the regional archaeological and body fossil records, which almost exclusively comprise smaller tortoises. The findings illustrate the potential of ichnology to complement and augment the paleontological and archaeological records.
Journal Article
Turtles and tortoises
\"Introduces the reader to turtles and tortoises.\"-- Provided by publisher.
Book
The role of Virus \X\
Tortoise Picornavirus (ToPV) commonly known as Virus \"X\" was recently discovered in juvenile European tortoises suffering from soft carapace and plastron as well as kidney disease. Therefore, this virus was a potential candidate to be a causative agent for these disease patterns. Spur thighed tortoises (Testudo graeca) seemed to be more susceptible to establish clinical symptoms than other European species like T. hermanni. Thus this trial investigated the role of ToPV in the described syndrome. Two groups of juvenile European tortoises (T. graeca and T.hermanni) each of 10 animals, were cloacally, oronasally and intracoelomically inoculated with an infectious dose (~ 2000 TICD) of a ToPV strain isolated from a diseased T. graeca. A control group of two animals of each species received non-infected cell culture supernatant. The tortoises were examined daily and pharyngeal and cloacal swabs for detection of ToPV-RNA by RT-PCR were taken from each animal every six days for a period of 6 months. At the end of the study the remaining animals were euthanised and dissected. Bacteriological and parasitological tests were performed and organ samples of all tortoises were investigated by RT-PCR for the presence of ToPV and histopathology. Animals that were euthanised at the end of the experiment, were examined for presence of specific anti-ToPV antibodies. Several animals in both inoculated groups showed retarded growth and a light shell weakness, in comparison to the control animals. Three animals were euthanised during the trial, showing reduced weight gain, retarded growth, severe shell weakness and apathy, in parallel to clinical observations in naturally infected animals. In all inoculated animals of both species an intermittent virus shedding, starting from 18 days post inoculation (d.p.i.), till 164 d.p.i. was detected, while the control animals remained negative. The virus was successfully reisolated in terrapene heart cell culture in 16 of 20 inoculated animals of both species. Histopathology of most inoculated animals revealed a lack of bone remodeling and vacuolisation in kidney tubuli which supports the described pathogenesis of nephropathy and osteodystrophy. Anti- ToPV antibody titres ranged from 1:2 to >1:256 in 13 of 20 animals, whereas all control animals were seronegative. The study proofed the Henle Koch`s postulates of ToPV as causative agent for shell dystrophy and kidney disease in both testudo species. The proposed species specific sensitivity towards clinical disease was not observed.
Journal Article
Who wants a tortoise?
Expecting a dog for her birthday, a girl is upset and furious when she gets a tortoise instead, but soon learns that even a tortoise can be a good pet.
Book
Size Matters
Methods used in wildlife ecology can influence population- and community-level estimates, such as species richness, sex ratio, age and size structure, occupancy and detection probabilities, and community composition. Various trapping and sampling biases exist for freshwater turtles including bait and trap choice and survey technique. To date, no study has investigated the influence of hoop net and mesh size on various population- and community-level estimates. Here, we use detection models to determine if trap and mesh size influence detection probability of nine species of freshwater turtles over 3 consecutive years (2016–2018) in west Tennessee. Additionally, we use multivariate models to determine if freshwater turtle community composition was influenced by hoop trap and mesh sizes. Our results indicated that there was a bias related to mesh size in detection probabilities and community composition. Smaller mesh sized traps were better at detecting smaller-bodied turtle species, which then changed community species richness but not catch-per-unit-effort estimates (i.e., abundance). Additionally, larger mesh sized traps were better at detecting common snapping turtles (Chelydra serpentina), which supports previous research. Our results suggest that researchers should account for the variation in detection probabilities by mesh size when conducting mark-recapture and occupancy analyses. Moreover, erroneous inferences about population trends and changes in diversity within turtle communities through time could cause managers to misidentify population declines and conservation value of a site.
Journal Article