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MEDITERRANEAN TORTOISES TAXONOMY
Spur-Thighed Tortoise (Testudo graeca)-four subspecies are recognised:
 Mediterranean Spur-thighed Tortoise(Testudo graeca graeca).
Found in Spain, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia and Libya.

  • Asia Minor Spur-thighed Tortoise (Testudo graeca ibera). Found in Central Balkans to the Black Sea, Turkey, USSR to Iran.
  • Middle Eastern Spur-thighed Tortoise (Testudo graeca terrestris) Found in Syria, Israel and Sinai.
  • Iranian Spur-thighed Tortoise (Testudo graeca zarudnyi). Found in eastern and southern Iran.

    Hermann's Tortoise(Testudo hermanni)-two subspecies are recognised:

  • Western Hermann's Tortoise (Testudo hermanni hermanni) Found in Balearic Islands, southern France to Western Italy.
  • Eastern Hermann's Tortoise (Testudo hermanni boettgeri). Found in western Turkey, Bulgaria, Romania to former Yugoslavia, Greece, Albania and southern Italy.

    Marginated Tortoise (Testudo marginata). Found in limited areas of Greece plus some offshore islands.

    Horsfield's Tortoise (Testudo horsfieldi)-two subspecies are recognised:
     Central Asian Tortoise (Testudo horsfieldi horsfieldi). Found in Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan to western Xinjiang, China.
    Kazakhstan Tortoise (Testudo horsfieldi kazakhstanica). Found in Kazakhstan and Turkmeniya.

    Egyptian Tortoise (Testudo kleinmanni). Found in North Africa from Libya to southern Israel, Egypt (restricted to Suez Canal region and northwestern deserts of the Nile Delta).

    DESCRIPTION
    A tortoise's body is surrounded by a protective shell with an upper part (the carapace) and a lower part (the plastron), both of which are made up of individual bony plates and horny scutes. The upper and lower parts of the shell are joined by bridges between the fore- and hindlimbs. The vertebrae of the backbone are fused to the carapace, as are the scapulae (shoulder blades) and pelvis (hip girdles). The lungs are located in the top third of the carapace and below are the other body organs. The lungs during breathing, are inflated and deflated using the muscles of the front legs. Tortoises, like most reptiles, are ectothermic and rely on an external heat source (the sun) to raise their body temperature sufficiently for them to be alert, feed and digest their food. They are inactive in cold weather.

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