Psammobates geometricus
| Geometric tortoise | |
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| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Testudines |
| Family: | Testudinidae |
| Genus: | Psammobates |
| Species: | P. geometricus |
| Binomial name | |
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Psammobates geometricus (Linnaeus, 1758 [1]) |
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| Synonyms | |
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The geometric tortoise is a critically endangered species of tortoise and one of three members of the genus, Psammobates. It is found in a very small section in the South-Western Cape of South Africa.
It has a very strong, black and yellow patterned carapace, used for defense against predators. The patterns are arranged in ray-like markings and help the tortoise blend in with its environment. From a birds eye view the shell has geometrical symbols on it thus giving it its name. This tortoise is very small, and a full grown tortoise can only reach about 5 to 6 inches in diameter. The tortoise is one of the rarest species of tortoise of earth, only about 2,000 to 3,000 are alive today. However because of its cryptic coloration and lack of activity, it makes it hard to create an accurate estimate of the population size.
While it shares much of its superficial outer appearance with its relatives in the genus Psammobates, it can be distinguished by the distinctively brightly coloured yellow stars of its shell scutes, the small nuchal and single axillary, the lack of buttock tubercles, and the only slightly upturned rear margins of the shell.
The geometric tortoise is naturally restricted to the far south-western corner of the Western Cape Province, South Africa. It used to occur as far north as Picketberg, as far south as Gordons Bay and eastwards into the Breede River valley. The habitat type of geometric tortoise is known as the renosterveld, which is located at the extreme southwestern part of the Western Cape Province of South Africa. The renosterveld forms part of the Fynbos Biomes, a vegetation zone characterized by a Mediterranean climate. There is a fusion of heathlands and shrublands with beginning and ending points hard to distinguish. Shrublands can then be further broken down into strandveld, coastal renosterveld and intercoastal renosterveld.
The Geometric tortoise is able to have specific dietary preferences, adaptation to wet habitats and topographical factors to survival in the habitat. The distribution range of the Geometric tortoise lies within a winter rainfall area, which has 350–600 mm annual precipitation. The agriculture utilization and urban development of the renosterveld are the major factors responsible for the massive decline on the number of tortoise. The destruction of renosterveld reduced the habitat of geometric tortoises to less than 3% of its original size, which has only 4000-5000 hectares remaining. Namely food, cover, nesting and the ability to move around in the habitat are four main biological factors, which are important for the survival of geometric tortoises in their habitat. Geometric tortoises prefer low-lying and well-drained areas, which have a higher percentage of shrub cover and canopy cover at 50 cm above ground level.
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Wikipedia