#1516 · 🦎 reptiles

Greek Tortoise

🇳🇱 Moorse Landschildpad ·Testudo graeca

VUvulnerable 🦎 Reptiles 📍 in Europe, not in NL

10 photos from iNaturalist (Creative Commons) · credits & licences

1. © Paul Cools · CC BY-NC 4.0
2. © gentoo · CC BY-NC 4.0
3. © Elios Garcia · CC BY-NC 4.0
4. © Cristina Florentina Alistar · CC BY-NC 4.0
5. © Serge Larin · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0
6. © katunchik · CC BY 4.0
7. Hungary:© Molnár Ábel Péter · CC BY-NC 4.0
8. © Cuora · CC BY-NC 4.0
9. Lebanon:© Mike Leveille · CC BY-NC 4.0
10. Istanbul, TR:© Elvan Gökgür · CC BY-NC 4.0

what is it?

The spur-thighed tortoise (or Greek tortoise ) ( Testudo graeca ) is one of the 5 species of Mediterranean tortoise (genus Testudo and Agrionemys , family Testudinidae). The other four species are the Hermann's tortoise ( Testudo hermanni ), Russian tortoise ( Agrionemys horsfieldii ), Egyptian tortoise ( Testudo kleinmanni ), and marginated tortoise ( Testudo marginata ). The spur-thighed tortoise is a very long lived animal, achieving a lifespan of upwards of 125 years, with some unverified reports of up to 200 years.

base stats

NL sightings 0iNaturalist, research grade
worldwide 11,230iNaturalist observations
threat VUvulnerable

Bars compare against all animals on log scales: up to 300,000 Dutch and 600,000 worldwide sightings (the most-seen species), 150 t (blue whale), 30 m and 400 years (Greenland shark).

fun facts

No confirmed wild sightings in the Netherlands on iNaturalist: you'd have to travel for this one.
11,230 observations worldwide on iNaturalist.
Scientifically named in 1758 (268 years ago).
Listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List.