Texas tortoise
Texas tortoise | |
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Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Reptilia |
Order: | Testudines |
Suborder: | Cryptodira |
Family: | Testudinidae |
Genus: | Gopherus |
Species: | G. berlandieri |
Binomial name | |
Gopherus berlandieri (Agassiz, 1857) | |
Synonyms[1] | |
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The Texas tortoise (Gopherus berlandieri ), is a species of tortoise in the family Testudinidae. The species G. berlandieri is one of six species of tortoises that are native to North America.
Geographic range
G. berlandieri is found from southern Texas southward into the Mexican states of Coahuila, Nuevo León, and Tamaulipas.
Etymology
The specific epithet, berlandieri, is in honor of Belgian naturalist Jean Louis Berlandier, who worked for the Mexican government on one of the first biological surveys of Texas.[2] As such, some sources refer to it as Berlandier's tortoise.[2]
Biology
The Texas tortoise, unlike other species of gopher tortoise, is not an adept burrower. Its preferred habitat is dry scrub and grasslands. Succulent plants, a preferred food of the Texas tortoise, are common in these areas. It especially likes the fruit of cacti such as the prickly pear.
Conservation status
Though considered an animal of low concern by the IUCN Red List, the Texas tortoise is listed as a threatened species in the state of Texas, and thus protected by state law. It is illegal to collect or possess them.
Gallery
References
- ↑ Fritz, Uwe; Havaš, Peter (2007). "Checklist of Chelonians of the World" (PDF). Vertebrate Zoology. 57 (2): 280–281. ISSN 1864-5755. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2010-12-17. Retrieved 29 May 2012.
- 1 2 Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2011). The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. ISBN 978-1-4214-0135-5. ("Berlandier's Tortoise Gopherus berlandieri ", p. 24).
External links
- Tortoise & Freshwater Turtle Specialist Group (1996). "Gopherus berlandieri". The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN. 1996: e.T9401A12983179. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.1996.RLTS.T9401A12983179.en. Retrieved 9 January 2018.
- Species Gopherus berlandieri at The Reptile Database