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The Kleinmann’s tortoise, aka Egyptian tortoise, Leith’s tortoise, or Negev tortoise, is the smallest species of tortoise in the Northern Hemisphere. They are native to Libya and likely extinct in Egypt. These tortoises face the threats of habitat loss and destruction at the hands of residential and commercial developments, tourism, […]

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This article was originally published on Critter Science.

The ploughshare tortoise, aka angonoka tortoise, angonoka, Madagascar tortoise, or Madagascar angulated tortoise is severely threatened by poaching for the illegal pet trade. They also face the threats of habitat loss and destruction at the hands of farming, ranching, fires, and fire suppression; hunting; and trapping. The IUCN lists these […]

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This article was originally published on Critter Science.

The radiated tortoise, aka sokake, hails from southern Madagascar. Although, they have been introduced to Réunion and Mauritius. In true tortoise fashion, they like it hot and dry. These tortoises prefer dry forests, thorn (diderae) forests, and woodlands. The radiated tortoise is threatened with habitat destruction at the hands of […]

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This article was originally published on Critter Science.

The Russian tortoise, aka Afghan tortoise, Horsfield’s tortoise, steppe tortoise, or Central Asian tortoise, hails from the Caspian Sea on south through Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iran, and east across Kazakhstan to Xinjiang, China. They prefer deserts, rocky hillsides, sandy steppes, and grassy regions close to water. These tortoises have a relatively […]

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This article was originally published on Critter Science.

Found on Aldabra island in the Indian Ocean, the Aldabra tortoise is one of the largest tortoise species in the world, after the Galápagos tortoise. These giants prefer mangrove swamps, scrublands, coastal dunes, and grasslands. There used to be 18 known species of giant tortoise throughout the islands in the […]

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This article was originally published on Critter Science.

The African spurred tortoise, aka sulcata tortoise or spur-thigh tortoise, is the 3rd largest tortoise after the Galápagos and Aldabra tortoises. Spurred tortoises are the biggest mainland tortoise in the world, with the other 2 tortoises being islanders. They live in the southern outskirts of the Sahara desert, in Africa. […]

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This article was originally published on Critter Science.

The desert tortoise is adapted to live in extremely hot desert environments. They are found in the Mojave Desert of California, Utah, Nevada, and the Sonoran deserts of Arizona and Mexico. Desert tortoises live in areas that are surrounded by rocky canyons, creosote bushes, semi-arid grasslands, and dry hillsides. These […]

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This article was originally published on Critter Science.

The Galápagos tortoise is the largest tortoise on Earth. Sadly, out of the 15 known subspecies of these tortoises, only 11 remain in the wild. They live in dry lowlands to more humid highlands. Galápagos tortoises were hunted during the 17th, 18th, and 19th century to near extinction. As a […]

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