Common Name: Central Asian Tortoise
Scientific Name: Testudo horsfieldii
VULNERABLE Central Asian Tortoise Distribution: Western Asia Habitat: Grassland Height: 15 - 20cm Weight: 4 - 5kg Diet: Herbivorous
The Central Asian tortoise, also known as the Horsfield’s tortoise has a rounded shell (carapace) and this is around the same in length as it is in width. The tortoise is stocky and has claws on the forearms. The tortoise as tanned skin and the shell comes in a variety of colours including tan, yellow-green and olive. The shell may also have dark markings on the sections of the shell (scutes). The tail has a terminal claw. There are two sub species of the horsfield’s tortoise. One is found in Pakistan, Eastern Iran, Afghanistan and Western China across to the Caspian Sea and the other is found in Kazakhstan and Turkmeniya. The tortoise is found in sandy steppes, grassland and mountainous areas. The tortoise feeds on grasses, flowers, fruits and other plant materials. The female lays 2 – 3 clutches of eggs per year which are laid in a nest dug in the sand. There are 2 – 9 eggs per clutch and the eggs take 61 – 75 days to hatch. The species is excellent at digging and digs burrow networks well as using the abandoned burrows of other species. In the wild the species is active for only 3 months of the year. In the north of their range they hibernate during the winter months and in the south of their range they aestivate during the summer months. March, April and May are the months when the tortoise is active.