Greek tortoise

About This Project

A tortoise from dry regions

The Greek tortoise is herbivorous and lives in scrub areas, dunes, the Atlas mountains, and also pinewoods and other dry forests. It is particularly well-adapted to these dry habitats, hibernating and/or aestivating to withstand extremes in temperature.

Often brought back illegally by tourists from Morocco as a souvenir, these tortoises do not survive, and are now disappearing from the North African landscape.

At La Barben zoo, you can observe them in the aviary of scarlet ibis, except in the cold season: indeed from October to April, they hibernate, buried in the ground …

Latin name: Testudo graeca
Class: Reptilia
Order: Testudines
Family: Testudinidae
Size: 30 cm long
Weight: 4.8 kg
Lifespan: up to 120 years!
Incubation: 60 to 130 days
Number of eggs: 1 to 7, 2 clutches
Habitat: dry regions
Diet: herbivorous
Distribution: Morocco to Egypt, south-eastern Europe, Middle East, Spain. Introduced into Cyprus, France and Italy.
Conservation status: vulnerable

Category
Reptilia