The Marginated Tortoise is a species of Tortoise that is native to parts of Southern Europe in places such as Italy and Greece.
It is the largest of the European tortoises and can grow to around 35cm in length and weigh up to around 5kg.
Marginated 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.
Marginated Tortoise Family
The Marginated Tortoise belongs to the family Testudinidae. This is simply the family of tortoises. They are closely related to Pond Turtles and Asian Turtles.
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 Marginated 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 Hermann’s 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 Marginated Tortoise is Testudo marginata. There are a number of described sub-species but there is dispute over whether they are valid.
Marginated Tortoise Description
The Marginated Tortoise is the largest of the European tortoises and can grow to around 35cm in length.
They have a unique looking shell that extends out at the back. This extended part of the shell is flat and has a series of flanges or ridges that form a wavy pattern.
The shell itself is relatively dull in color. It is primarily black with some small dull yellow patterning coming through along the scutes.
These tortoises have four or five rows of enlarged longitudinal scales towards the front of the tortoises’ front legs.
Natural Habitat and Distribution
The Marginated Tortoise is native to parts of Southern Europe where they can be found around the warm Mediterranean climate.
They can be found throughout much of Greece including some of the Greek islands such as Zakinthos and Kefallinia.
They can also be found in parts of Italy, with a large population of these tortoises living on the island of Sardinia.
The Marginated Tortoise can also be found in isolated populations in other surrounding countries such as Albania.
These tortoises like to live in dry shrub and woodland areas. They can also be found on the foothills of mountains and are known to live at elevations up to 1,500m.
Marginated Tortoise Behaviour
The Marginated Tortoise is primarily active during the morning and evening time. They will leave their burrows in search of food.
They will retreat back into their burrows by midday to escape from the heat and will emerge again once the temperature starts to cool off again.
They are herbivores meaning their diet consists of plant-based matter. They will eat things like dark leafy greens, flowers, grasses and other types of vegetation.