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All turtles and tortoises start as eggs. Red-footed tortoise eggs are roughly spherical and average around 5.0 by 4.2 cm (2.0 by 1.7 in) and weigh 50 g (1.8 oz) with two to seven eggs in a clutch, although the same females may lay multiple clutches near each other. The incubation period is 105–202 days, with 150 being typical. [9]
C. carbonarius – red-footed tortoise [2] C. chilensis – Chaco tortoise [2] C. denticulatus – yellow-footed tortoise [2] C. niger – Galápagos tortoise – with the following subspecies: [2] [7] † C. n. abingdonii – Pinta Island tortoise (extinct as of 2012, but could be bred back from hybrids and/or persist as lone individuals) [2] [8]
A female of T. h. boettgeri subspecies laying eggs in soil pit A hatchling of T. h. hermanni. Between May and July, female Hermann's tortoises deposit between two and 12 eggs into flask-shaped nests dug into the soil, [14] up to 10 cm (3.9 in) deep. [13] Most females lay more than one clutch each season. [14]
Due to its tiny size, this tortoise is heavily preyed on by crows, ostriches, jackals, baboons, dogs, and a wide range of other predators. Consequently, it spends most of its time hiding under rocks, foliage, and other cover. It lays a clutch of 2–4 eggs, which hatch 150–320 days later – usually on a misty, overcast day. [13]
After the last egg, the female immediately begins refilling the hole, again using her hind legs. Finally, she stamps the opening closed with her feet so that the ground regains its natural hardness. Larger animals may lay eggs as many as three times per summer, with about 15 eggs per clutch. A marginated tortoise emerges into the world.
The other four species are Hermann's tortoise (T. hermanni), the Egyptian tortoise (T. kleinmanni), the marginated tortoise (T. marginata), and the Russian tortoise (A. horsfieldii). The Greek tortoise is a very long-lived animal, achieving a lifespan upwards of 125 years, with some unverified reports up to 200 years. [4]
The eggs have brittle shells and are elongated to spherical, about 3–6 cm in diameter. The egg size will increase with the body size of the tortoise. The young are self-sufficient from birth. The yellow-footed tortoise can live around 50–60 years.
The African spurred tortoise (Centrochelys sulcata), also called the sulcata tortoise, is an endangered species of tortoise inhabiting the southern edge of the Sahara Desert, the Sahel, in Africa. It is the largest mainland species of tortoise in Africa, and the third-largest in the world, after the Galapagos tortoise and Aldabra giant tortoise .