TerralogNEWS101
10
Manouriaemys
needs tobekept verymoist and relativelywarm.
Manouriaemys
: the femalespracticebrood
care! Inseminated females construct anest
moundofdeadplantmaterial.Theeggsare
laid in this nest,which is thenguarded for
2-6weeks.Thebenefitsof thisaren’texactly
clear, but it has been speculated that the
main purpose of this brood care is to
maintain the nest in good order and thus
protect the eggs against high-water
events. Even the boldest tortoise has no
chance against monitor lizards, the worst
egg robbers in theirhabitat.
Soft-shelledeggs
The clutch of
Manouria emys
numbers up
to 40 (
M. e. emys
) or 70 (
M. e. phayrei
) soft-
shelled eggs. This too is very unusual, as
tortoise eggs usually have calcareous-
shelled eggs like those of birds. The large
number of eggs indicates that juveniles
haveonly a small chanceof survival in the
wild. But the longevity of the parents and
the large clutches compensate for the
huge losses that occur in unspoiled
habitats.
Terrariumcare
Themain problem in themaintenance of
Manouria emys
is its size. A group of one
male and two to three females require an
area of around 10 square meters. The
temperature shouldn’t drop below 18 °C
for
M. e. emys
, or below 14-16 °C for
M. e.
phayrei
(dependingonorigin). In summer
theycanbekeptoutside,at leastduringthe
day, but at night they should have a cold
frameorgreenhouseavailable.
Beware, these tortoises can climb
exceptionally well! Tortoises have a high
water requirement and should have an
easily-cleaned bath, containing water at
the right temperature, available.
This
should be cleaned and refilled once or
several times per day. The humidity
shouldn’t drop below 70%. Being forest-
dwellers, these tortoises only rarely
sunbathe, but there are, of course,
individual exceptions.
These tortoises are almost exclusively
vegetarian,andunlikemanyothertortoises
theyareoftennot interested incarrionand
Lexicon
Manouriaemys
Manouria:not explained in the
original description,but perhaps a
dedication inhonor of amanor
woman calledManour.
emys: referring to the similarityof
the juveniles topond turtles (Emys).
phayrei:dedication inhonor of Sir
Arthur PurvesPhayre (1812-1885),
Britisharmyofficer andGovernor of
Burma.
small prey. For various reasons (danger of
arthritis andobesity,or possibledisruption
of thedelicate intestinal flora),meaty foods
shouldbe fedonly as anexception.Fruit is
also better avoided or given as a rare (!)
treat. As long as they are available, wild
plants canbe given (these tortoises prefer
large-leavedplants),otherwisesalad leaves
such as endive, rocket, chicory, etc. Some
specimensalso like toeat fungi.
Atpresentnowild-collected individualsare
available in thewholesale trade, but there
are delightful captive-bred specimens, for
exampleatTropenparadies inOberhausen,
Germany,Fax+490208-665997.
