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| Adult female Hermann's tortoise, subspecies boettgeri, Euboea (C) Plato Stefanopoulos |
Introduction
Out of the three terrestrial tortoise species in Greece, all members of the genus Testudo, the most widespread and common one is the Herman's tortoise (Testudo hermanni), a primarily Mediterranean species found in several European countries such as Spain, France, Italy, Croatia, Albania, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Bulgaria, Romania and Greece. It is a small to medium-sized land tortoise, and it can be found in a number of typical Mediterranean habitats and is especially prone to illegal collection, due to which it has been introduced to several Greek islands over time. Greek Herman's tortoises are assigned to the subspecies boettgeri which shows some significant morphological differences.
Description
Small to medium-sized tortoise with a total carapace length up to 25 cm, rounded and slightly elongated. Coloration typically yellowish with several black markings both on the carapace and plastron; burn survivors very pale. Head bright yellow, grey or brownish. Caudal scute either divided or single. May be confused with the Greek tortoise (Testudo graeca) with which it coexists in Northern Greece but note the following; middle row of carapace scutes longer than wide, thorny nail on tail-tip, spurs on thighs either absent or less pronounced.
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| Adult female, subspecies boettgeri, Euboea (C) Plato Stefanopoulos |
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| Adult, subspecies boettgeri, Kerkini lake (C) Stamatis Kalogiannis |
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Adult, subspecies boettgeri, Kerkini lake (C) Stamatis Kalogiannis |
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Adult female, subspecies boettgeri, Euboea (C) Plato Stefanopoulos
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| Adult, subspecies boettgeri, Pieria (C) Charis Kouelis |
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| Adult, subspecies boettgeri, Euboea (C) Stamatis Kalogiannis |
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| Adult, subspecies boettgeri, Euboea (C) Stamatis Kalogiannis |
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| Single supracaudal scute (C) Stamatis Kalogiannis |
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| Divided supracaudal scute (C) Stamatis Kalogiannis |
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| View of the spike at the tail-tip (C) Stamatis Kalogiannis |
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| Adult with healed burn damage, Euboea (C) Stamatis Kalogiannis |
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Adult male, subspecies boettgeri, Peloponnese (C) Plato Stefanopoulos
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BiologyIt is a diurnal tortoise, though it does not tolerate extreme heat and will often become crepuscular in the summer in search of cooler temperatures, often aestivating inside holes and burrows. It also often frequents riparian areas in the summer in search of moisture. Like most tortoises, it is almost exclusively herbivorous, eating a vast array of plant matter, from leaves, to flowers, to fruit of hundreds of species of plants. However, in rare cases, it has been observed eating mushrooms, colonies of cyanobacteria, some invertebrates, mammal feces and even carrion, usually in the form of roadkilled snakes and lizards. It is the smallest of the Greek tortoises, with sexually mature males with a carapace length as short as 15 cm or even shorter being common. Mating occurs in two separate time periods, from early spring until May, and from late July until early fall. The courtship ritual is fierce. Males will often bash the carapace of each other and the females, creating a loud noise. Males will chase females for long distances and often engage in a biting behavior to make the female hold still. The defined spike on the tail of the male is used just before mating to stimulate the female’s cloaca. A characteristic vocalization is made by the male during copulation. Females may lay up to 3 clutches of up to 8 eggs per year, which they bury in the soil. Hatchlings may have a carapace length as small as 3.5 centimeters and may take from 8-13 years to reach sexual maturity, with males maturing earlier than females.
Habitat
Inhabits all types of typical Mediterranean habitats, ranging from scrublands, grasslands and cultivated land to lush riparian or mountainous forests and rocky outcrops. Very commonly occurs in sandy habitats very close to the sea such as coastal marshes, coastal woodland and sand dunes. Generally avoids intense heat and degraded habitats but there may be exceptions. It has also been introduced to several urban parks. Up to 1,800m asl.
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| Degraded floodplain – habitat of Testudo hermanni |
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| Creek bed of a perennial stream – habitat of Testudo hermanni |
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| Maquis shrubland and phrygana on a steep hillside – habitat of Testudo hermanni |
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| Degraded floodplain with saltwater influence – habitat of Testudo hermanni |
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| Coastal marsh formed at the drying river mouth of an intermittent stream – habitat of Testudo hermanni |
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| Coastal woodland – habitat of Testudo hermanni |
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| Olive groves bordering hillsides with phrygana – habitat of Testudo hermanni |
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| Coastal plain with halophytes bordering phrygana – habitat of Testudo hermanni |
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Open grassland bordering pine forests – habitat of Testudo hermanni
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| Oak forest near a marsh – habitat of Testudo hermanni |
Distribution
Rather widespread; it is found in all of the mainland, in the Peloponnese, on Euboea and on some Ionian islands (Corfu, Kefallonia, Zakynthos). Also introduced to a few more islands, although literature reports and other records are limited.
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| Approximate distribution of Testudo hermanni in Greece |
