The Greek Tortoise is a species of tortoise that is native to parts of Mediterranean Europe, including Greece and other surrounding countries.
However, this tortoise doesn’t get its name from the country. Instead, it comes from the Greek Mosaic style patterning on the tortoise’s shell.
This species is known for having a very long lifespan as they can live for over 125 years. It is believed that they can even live much longer than this.
The Greek Tortoise is closely related to other European Tortoises such as the Hermann’s Tortoise and the Egyptian Tortoise.
It is also commonly called the Spur-thighed Tortoise, the Mediterranean Spur-thighed Tortoise and the Moorish Tortoise.
Greek Tortoise Taxonomy
In the Animal Kingdom, Taxonomy is used as the science and practice of classifying different species and sub-species based on their biological and genetic makeup.
Family
The Greek Tortoise belongs to the family Testudinidae. This is simply the family of tortoises. They are closely related to Pond Turtles and Asian Turtles.
This family contains all the species of tortoises including the Radiated Tortoise and the Texas Tortoise.
Tortoises can vary greatly in size from the Galapagos Giant Tortoise that is over 1.2 metres to tiny tortoises that are only about 3 inches in length.
Most species of tortoise have a number of similarities. However, there are always a few exceptions to these rules.
In general, tortoises have a hard shell and they retract their head and neck directly backwards into the shell to protect them.
They are land animals that swim poorly or can’t swim at all. They typically move very slowly, with average speeds of less than 0.5km per hour.
There are 17 different genera of tortoises at the time of writing and over 60 recognised species.
Genus
The genus that the Greek Tortoise belongs to is called Testudo which is a genus of Mediterranean tortoises that can be found in Europe, Northern Africa and Western Asia.
There are currently 5 recognised species in this genus including the Marginated Tortoise and the Russian Tortoise.
Over the years, there has been a huge number of species described and classified under the Testudo genus.
However, the vast majority of these entries are considered invalid. There has been a number of reasons for these invalid entries such as the re-entry of an already described species under a different name
Species
The scientific name for the Greek Tortoise is Testudo graeca and there are currently 10 different recognised sub-species.
The species was first described in 1758 by a Swedish zoologist named Carl Linnaeus.
Linnaeus is credited for formalising binomial nomenclature which is the modern system of naming organisms. He has described a large number of reptiles including the Yellow Footed Tortoise, the Common Slow Worm, the Green Ameiva, the Eastern Copperhead, the Mediterranean House Gecko, the Northern Water Snake and the Banded Water Snake.He also described the Ringneck Snake, the Blunthead Three Snake, the Rainbow Lizard, the Surinam Horned Frog, the Desert Horned Viper and the Nile Monitor.
The different sub-species of Greek Tortoise are:
- Testudo graeca armeniaca – Araxes Tortoise
- Testudo graeca buxtoni – Buxton’s Tortoise
- Testudo graeca cyrenaica – Cyrenaican Spur-thighed Tortoise
- Testudo graeca graeca – Mediterranean Spur-thighed Tortoise
- Testudo graeca ibera – Asia Minor Tortoise
- Testudo graeca marokkensis – Morocco Tortoise
- Testudo graeca nabeulensis – Nabeul Tortoise
- Testudo graeca soussensis – Souss Valley Tortoise
- Testudo graeca terrestris – Mesopotamian Tortoise
- Testudo graeca zarudnyi – Iranian Tortoise
Greek Tortoise Description
The Greek Tortoise is a relatively small species of tortoise that typically only grows to around 5-8 inches in length, although they can sometimes get a little bigger.
The Carapace or Upper Shell can vary from yellowish, golden or tan in color which is overlaid with beautiful black markings.
The black patterning on the shell is quite unique and often resembles a Greek Mosaic, which is where these tortoises get their name.
Their shell is slightly elongated giving it an oval or square appearance. They also have large scales on their head and legs.
They have noticeably large scales or spurs on the inside of their thighs which gives this species one of its common names, the Spur-Thighed Tortoise.
It is difficult to tell the difference between males and females of this species but there are subtle differences. For example, males are typically slightly smaller than females and have longer tails.
Natural Habitat and Distribution
The Greek Tortoise can be found throughout much of the Mediterranean Coastline of Europe and Northern Africa.
It’s range also extends into parts of Asia where it can be found in many of the countries around the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea.
In Europe, the Greek Tortoise can be found as far West as parts of Southern Spain. Its range is scarcely populated in Western Europe but there is a large population on the island of Sardinia.
They can be found throughout much of Southern Europe where they are commonly found in places such as Albania, Greece, Macedonia, Bulgaria and Romania.
There is also a large population of these tortoises in Turkey. While there are far more tortoises around the Mediterranean and Black Sea coastlines, they can also be found further inland.
Further inland and extending into Asia, the Greek Tortoise can be found in places such as Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan and Iran.
They can also be found in places such as Israel, Jordan, Lebanon and Syria. In North Africa, this tortoise can be found in Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia.
Greek Tortoise Behaviour
The Greek Tortoise is typically a diurnal species that is mainly active during the day and they sleep at night.
However, in the hotter parts of their range, when the temperature is too high, they will often be most active around the hours of dusk and dawn.
They will retreat into their burrows during the day to escape from the intense heat.
Some of the sub-species that are found in colder regions will hibernate during the winter months but the sub-species in warmer climates don’t need to do this.
Like other tortoises, the Greek tortoise is a herbivore and will graze on a variety of different plants and grasses.