Facts about this animal
The radiated tortoise has a oval, extremely elevated, smooth carapace. Each of the shields bears a distinct pattern of alternate radiating bands of yellow and dark brown. Usually the yellow lines are narrower than the brown, but sometimes the reverse is the case. In very large specimens, of over 400 mm carapace length the characteristic pattern might be missing; also some entirely yellowish specimens have been recorded. The radiant pattern is also visible on the marginals and on the plastron. The head is yellow with a black top. The tail is ending with a spur-like scale.
Did you know?
that international trade in radiated tortoises taken from the wild is prohibited by its listing on Appendix I of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES)? As a consequence, considerable efforts have been undertaken to breed radiated tortoises in human care.
|Name (Scientific)||Astrochelys radiata|
|Name (English)||Radiated Tortoise|
|Name (French)||Tortue radiée de Madagascar|
|Name (Spanish)||Tortuga estrellada de Madagascar|
|CITES Status||Appendix I|
|CMS Status||Not listed|
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|Range||Madagascar, introduced to Mauritius and Réunion|
|Habitat||Dry thorn forests and tropical woodlands|
|Wild population||Unknown, but decreasing (Red List IUCN 2011)|
|Zoo population||603 reported to ISIS (2005)|
In the Zoo
How this animal should be transported
For air transport, Container Note 43 of the IATA Live Animals Regulations should be followed.
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Why do zoos keep this animal
The radiated tortoise is listed as vulnerable in the IUCN red Data Book, and mainitaining a self-sustaining ex situ reserve population has some merits. it is also a good ambassador species for the largely threateneded wildlife of Madagascar, which is one of the World's Biodiversity Hotspots.