The Russian Tortoise is a species of Tortoise that is native to parts of Central Asia. Despite their name, these tortoises are not native to Russia.
It is rumoured that they got the name because Russian Soldiers would bring these tortoises home with them when fighting in the Desert Wars.
These tortoises have a number of other common names including the Horsfield’s tortoise, the Afghan Tortoise and the Steppe Tortoise.
Russian 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.
Russian Tortoise Family
The Russian 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 Russian 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 Marginated 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 Russian Tortoise is Testudo horsfieldii. This is in honour of American naturalist Thomas Horsfield.
There are currently 6 recognised sub-species.
Russian Tortoise Description
The Russian Tortoise is a relatively small species of tortoise that typically only grows to between 15-25cm in length.
As with many reptiles, females of this species are typically slightly larger than males. There can also be some size variations among sub-species.
These tortoises have four toes instead of five which give them one of their common names ‘the four-clawed tortoise’.
The shell is usually dark brown or black in color. This fades to a dull yellow coloration between the scutes.
This yellowish color can often flare up along the scutes which can reduce the overall amount of dark brown or black coloration on the shell.
A male Russian Tortoise has long claws and a long tail that is tucked in to the side. Females however have shorter claws and their tail is shorter and fatter.
Natural Habitat and Distribution
The Russian Tortoise is native to parts of Central Asia. Despite their name, these tortoises are not native to Russia.
They can be found in places such as Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan.
There are 6 recognised sub-species of Russian Tortoise and each of these sub-species will have its own geographical range.
These tortoises can be found in hot and arid environments. However, they are known to be able to survive the harshest conditions and can remain dormant for up to 9 months of the year.
They like to live in sandy steppes or grassy regions. They can also be found along rocky hillsides where they can live at elevations as high as 5,000 feet.
Russian Tortoise Behaviour
The Russian Tortoise will spend much of the year in dormancy, doing very little in an effort to conserve energy until the conditions are right for them to search for food 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.
They are expert burrowers and will often dig their burrows during the spring after the rain has softened the soil. They are even known to visit each other’s burrows.