Park activities

MARGINATED TORTOISE

Testudo marginata

CLASS REPTILIA

ORDER TESTUDINES

FAMILY TESTUDINIDAE

DID YOU KNOW?

The species is endemic to Southern European countries such as Greece, Italy, and Albania. It is the largest European tortoise, reaching a weight of up to 5kg and a length of 35 cm.

The black color of the carapace is helpful for survival, as it allows the tortoise to absorb a great deal of heat in a short time, helping it maintain its body temperature.

DISTRIBUTION

HABITAT

It can be seen in habitats from rocky hillsides to meadows, woodlands, and scrub land. It prefers mountainous regions and can be found in elevations as high as 1.600m.

LIFE SPAN

They may live between 100 and 140 years.

ACTIVITY

Early in the morning, they bask in the sun to raise their body temperature, and then search for food. After feeding, the tortoises return to their shelters in the hot midday hours, leaving them again in the late afternoon.

They are fairly calm and relaxed, although they can be somewhat territorial in the wild.  If they are not given the proper diet in captivity, they might attack if they feel threatened.

SEX DETERMINATION & REPRODUCTION

The male has a longer tail, which is thicker at the base than the female's. The underside is more strongly indented. Males are also often larger than the females.

The males follow the females with great interest, encircling them, biting them on the limbs, ramming them, and trying to mount them. During copulation, the male opens his mouth, showing his red tongue and making loud cries.

During mating, the female stands still and holds her head to the side, looking up to see the opened mouth of the male. The red tongue apparently serves a signaling function. The female moves her head from left to right in the same rhythm as the male's cries.

Afterwards, the female seeks out an adequate location to lay her eggs.

The depth of the hole is determined by the length of her hind legs. If the ground is too hard to dig, the female releases water from her anal gland to soften it.

The females lay their hard-shelled spherical eggs in the soil in May and June. They lay about 15 eggs per clutch. The incubation period averages 100 days under natural conditions.

In nature, the animal remains below ground for the first two weeks, where it is safe from predators, yet is still able to grow, as it is nourished by the yolk sac.

DIET

These tortoises are herbivorous, meaning their diets consists primarily of plants from their native Mediterranean region.

CONSERVATION STATUS