The Endangered Ploughshare Tortoise Written by Silvia
Say hello to the ploughshare tortoise!
Hello, I’m the ploughshare tortoise Crawling on the grass I’m very big, you see I weigh lots; its mass! I used to be very happy But these monsters destroyed us badly So there are only 400 of us left, sadly
Introduction:
My animal for the Endangered Species Project is the Ploughshare tortoise (PLOGshare), an animal that is nearly extinct. It is critically endangered, and is one of the most threatened tortoises in the world. With only a few remaining, it needs serious help because its population may be wiped out in a few years.
About this animal: ● Scientific name: A. Yniphora ● Another name for the ploughshare tortoise: the Angonoka Tortoise ● Less common names: Madagascar tortoise, Madagascar angulated tortoise
The ploughshare tortoise looks quite “stubby.” The tortoise’s shell is engraved in abstract, but simple patterns. Like a zebra’s stripes, no two tortoises have the same pattern. Each has its own shape of unique patterns. While this tortoise has outstanding features, it may have some characteristics that ordinary tortoises have as well. Of course, it has a hard, protective shell over its head; four, brown scaly legs, with five claws on each leg; and has a curved mouth shape that looks like an eagle’s beak. The critter is surprisingly big. Wait, it’s HUMONGOUS! Its shell can reach up to a yard in width and about a foot in height! This is seriously not your average tortoise. A female tortoise is different from a male. Females give birth to babies, which is one way to identify a girl from a boy. Also, the female tortoise is smaller than the male. When you see ploughshare tortoises fighting like lions, those are aggressive males. This is yet another way you can tell males from females. So the next time you see ploughshare tortoises pushing and flipping each other over, you know which gender those reptiles are.
Dinnertime! The ploughshare tortoise has a big appetite. Since this reptile is a herbivore, its diet is mostly made up of plants, unsurprisingly. Madagascar is mostly covered in forests, so no doubt that this tortoise is endemic. Eat, eat, eat! This tortoise loves a variety of plants. It feeds on mostly grasses that are found nearby. It also eats dead bamboo leaves, herbs, shrugs and even ( SPOILER ALERT!!!!!!! ) whatever animal dung that is lying around.
However, the ploughshare (also called Angonoka) tortoise despises fresh bamboo shoots and leaves. I think this is very strange, since the tortoise does eat dead parts of the bamboo plant. Who knows? Maybe fresh bamboo parts aren’t on its favorites list. Weight: As I said, the ploughshare tortoise is huge, so it’s no wonder its weight matches its size. An ordinary, average male ploughshare tortoise could weigh 22 pounds (10 kilograms) and a female could weigh about 19 pounds (about 9 kilograms). Home Sweet Home: As mentioned earlier, ploughshare tortoises live in Madagascar, an island close to Mozambique, a place in southeastern Africa. Previously, I had said that these reptiles are endemic to Madagascar, and that is true. These fellows love their habitat that matches their needs. Since they are herbivores and eat shrubs, etc., their sunny habitat is a space full of vegetation. (Check out Dinnertime! for more information on their diet.) They prefer openspaced areas. Maybe they use that space for roaming, mating or other major activities. Why the Ploughshare (Angonoka) Tortoise is Endangered: The ploughshare tortoise face many threats. These threats dramatically decreased this tortoises’ population, causing potential extinction. Not surprisingly, all of these threats are caused by humans. The first threat is poaching. Yes, people hunting this rare creature. Maybe poachers want its shell or claws. Whatever reason it is, it is harmful to tortoises. The second threat is fires. No, not the fires that are caused naturally, humancaused fires. Some coldhearted farmers cause sudden, unexpected fires to conquer the tortoises’ habitat, and unfortunately, some unlucky tortoises have gotten killed in the process. The farmers use clearedout land to make farms and to create a grazing area for their cows. Even though there are fewer fires in present times, past fires have wounded the ploughshare tortoises’ habitat badly, causing a big effect on the delicate population of the reptiles.
The third big threat is the international pet trade. This illegal program sells tiny, baby, yet rare, ploughshare tortoises. By doing this, they affect the helpless babies and take away chances of rebuilding the population on Madagascar. Here is the biggest threat of all: bushpigs!!!! They are one of the worst threats. These crazy, nogood animals love to dine on ploughshare tortoises’ eggs and their young. I know, everyone’s thinking that there is supposed to be a protective mother guarding over those babies. Guess what? The mother tortoise actually leaves the eggs in the sand and never returns to them again! The poor babies have a great chance of being the bushpig’s lunch. Here’s more bad news. The bushpig was actually an invasive species brought to Madagascar by HUMANS! If this is making you feel depressed already, look at “How to Help the Ploughshare Tortoise” to see how you can become a hero. How to Help the Ploughshare Tortoise: There are lots of ways you can help this rare animal. Unfortunately, most of the following are not simple ways, because they may require going to Madagascar. Firstly, you could help Durrell Wildlife Trust. They are a group that saves ploughshare tortoises and believe that they can rebuild its population. You can travel to Madagascar (sorry, this is not easy) and volunteer to feed the tortoises and tend the young and eggs. This could help a lot. Another way you can help is to protest against pet trading for ploughshare tortoises. You can write a letter to the president or your senator to keep a look out for pet traders that are sneaking ploughshare tortoises into America on a plane or ship, or even by mail. The people and government of Madagascar have helped already. They are keeping a lookout for uncontrolled and careless fires caused by farmers. Also, they have set up parks for the ploughshare tortoise captives, like the Durrell Wildlife Trust. Together, they helped hundreds of tortoises reach their maturity age. If you want to do something that is effective and simple, you can make donations to the ploughshare tortoise parks out there. You could donate materials like your old “doggie bed” so maybe a tortoise could have something comfy to sleep on. An example of a place where people tend tortoises, as I named earlier, is www.durrell.org to contact the staff. Helping the ploughshare tortoise thrive would save many future tortoises that would only die unless help arrives.
Author’s Note: I really think this tortoise is an extraordinary reptile. It is a very interesting and strange animal. Even after I did research about this tortoise, I sometimes wonder about its appearance. For human mothers, giving birth to human infants are hard enough. But how can mother tortoises give birth to a ploughshare tortoise with unique patterns? She must have worked a lot to make sure that her baby ploughshare tortoise is born correctly and carefully, too. I also wonder about how this tortoise is so small in its beginning (no bigger than a human hand), but then eventually will become larger and wider. It’s amazing how this tortoise changes through life. I love the ploughshare tortoise. It may seem big and bulky, but in the same way, it is actually cute, too, especially baby ploughshare tortoises. Those little tortoises are just the cutest animals I have ever seen, besides sleeping kittens. To my eyes, they are so small and cute and adorable! I couldn’t believe that international pet traders would harm this little fellow! Hopefully, the ploughshare tortoises’ population will rise. Good luck and be safe, tortoise!
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