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- Common Tortoise
Common Tortoise
Testudines, Testudinidae
Testudo Graeca
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The Common Tortoise lives over a broad range extending from Europe to Africa. But they are in trouble because many of their habitats have become farmlands or pastures.
Tortoise Shell: 14-30cm
(Source: Shinsekai Zetsumetsukiki Doubutsu Zukan* (Library Edition) Gakken) (*Illustrated Encyclopedia of New World Endangered Animals)
The Common Tortoise lives in North Africa and southwestern parts of Europe.
The Common Tortoise eats grass and fruits.
The Common Tortoise can vary in color and shape depending on where they live, but they always have scales that look like thorns on the base of their hind legs.
Find out more about the Common Tortoise!
The Common Tortoises are losing their homes...
The Common Tortoise is a land turtle that likes to live on dry grasslands or in groves. Their habitat extends from the European continent to the African continent, varying in color and shape depending on where they live. The rise in the world's population has resulted in the spread of more and more farmlands and pastures necessary for human life. This has caused a sharp decrease in grasslands and groves, putting the Common Tortoise on the brink of extinction.
Damages of hunting
There is another reason for the declining number of Common Tortoises: They are being poached for sale as pets. While their import and export is restricted, the Common Tortoise can be bought and sold if certain criteria are met. For that reason, many wild Common Tortoises are captured every year. But recently, some countries are starting to make sanctuaries, and banning their hunting.
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