NEWS 115
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Egyptian Vulture (
Neophron percnopterus
) -
may have encouraged the Crevice Tortoise
to evolve. This vulture is in fact one of the
few animal species that can crack open
tortoises. To do so it grabs the tortoise
carries it high into the air, and then drops it
onto a rock to crack it open. According to
legend the Greek poet Aeschylus (525 B.C. -
456 B.C.) met his death when this bird
mistook his bald head for a rock and
smashed a tortoise on it.
Unfortunately seriously endangered
Its specialized habitat doesn't make for very
large populations of the CreviceTortoise.For
this reason it multiplies only slowly. That
makes it remarkable.
It is thought that excessive collecting of the
species for the terrarium trade may have
come to constitute a threat to its survival.For
this reason since 1992 the trade in wild
specimens has been banned in Tanzania,
while the export of so-called farmed
specimens continues to be allowed. It
appears that this measure may have been
effective, as investigation of the biotope has
revealed few signs of illegal collection.But at
the same time the main threats to the
species,namely habitat destruction through
overgrazing of its food plants by human
farmstock, quarrying for building houses,
and climate change, continue to exist.
Because the Crevice Tortoise can readily be
maintained and bred in captivity, we can
only hope that as many terrarium
enthusiasts as possible will get involved
with this interesting species.In the terrarium
at least it mustn't ever become extinct.
Maintenance and breeding
The maintenance of the Crevice Tortoise is
relatively easy. It isn't possible to give
extensive advice on the subject here, and
the reader is instead referred to the
abundant specialist literature that exists
(see book tip). But basically it can be said
that these tortoises should be kept at an air
temperature between 20 and 30 °C during
the "dry season" (June-October, December-
March) and 25-35 °C during the "rainy
season".A sunning placewith a temperature
of 40-50° C, created by a lamp, should be
provided.
Up to five clutches of eggs per female per
year are possible, but as a rule consist of just
a single egg. As far as possible the diet
should consist of wild plants with a high
percentage of soft grasses (Gramineae),
while hay can be given during the dry
season as well.
The necessary rocky crevices canmost safely
be built using light-weight plastic "rocks"
such as are manufactured for the aquarium
hobby. If you use natural rock then make
Crevice Tortoises can move energetically when they have reason to.
Literatur
:
LindholmW.A. (1929): Revidiertes Verzeichnis
der Gattungen der rezenten Schildkröten
nebst Notizen zur Nomenklatur einiger Arten.
Zoologischer Anzeiger 81(2): 275-295
Mwaya, R.T (2013): Ein Sammelstopp für
Spaltenschildkröten - was bewirkt er?
Marginata 10 (1): 20-30
Philippen, H.-D. (2013): Eine außergewöhn-
liche Art: die Spaltenschildkröte (Malaco-
chersus tornieri). Marginata 10 (1): 12-19
Lexicon
Crevice Tortoises
Malacochersus: from the Ancient
Greek
μαλακός
(malakós,“soft”),
plus chersus meaning "tortoise", i.e.
"soft tortoise".
tornieri: in honor of Gustav Tornier
(1858-1938), A German zoologist.
absolutely sure that it is safe from collapse!
Males are often intolerant of one another,
but that is the same as already known for
tortoises in general.
If you are now filled with the desire to keep
and breed Crevice Tortoises, your pet dealer
can undoubtedly order them for you from a
trustworthy wholesaler, for example
