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Titanochelon
''Titanochelon'' is an extinct genus of giant tortoises known from the Early Miocene to the beginning of the Pleistocene in Europe, extending from the Iberian Peninsula to Anatolia. Some members of the genus were larger than extant giant tortoises, with a shell length of up to . Taxonomy There are approximately 10 known species in the genus, most of which were originally assigned to '' Testudo'' (a genus which formally encompassed almost all fossil tortoises) or '' Cheirogaster,'' the type species of which, ''Cheirogaster maurini'' is known from the Eocene of France and is quite different to the species assigned to ''Titanochelon''. After a major systematic revision in 2014, the genus ''Titanochelon'' was created to house these related species.Hans Volker Karl, Ulrich Staesche, Amtyaz Safi New findings of neogene tortoises ''Titanochelon kayadibiensis'' sp. nov. and ''Protestudo bessarabica'' (Riabinin, 1918) (Testudinidae) from the Miocene of western Turkey, with a review of f ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Titanochelon Schafferi
''Titanochelon'' is an extinct genus of giant tortoises known from the Early Miocene to the beginning of the Pleistocene in Europe, extending from the Iberian Peninsula to Anatolia. Some members of the genus were larger than extant giant tortoises, with a shell length of up to . Taxonomy There are approximately 10 known species in the genus, most of which were originally assigned to '' Testudo'' (a genus which formally encompassed almost all fossil tortoises) or '' Cheirogaster,'' the type species of which, ''Cheirogaster maurini'' is known from the Eocene of France and is quite different to the species assigned to ''Titanochelon''. After a major systematic revision in 2014, the genus ''Titanochelon'' was created to house these related species.Hans Volker Karl, Ulrich Staesche, Amtyaz Safi New findings of neogene tortoises ''Titanochelon kayadibiensis'' sp. nov. and ''Protestudo bessarabica'' (Riabinin, 1918) (Testudinidae) from the Miocene of western Turkey, with a review of fo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tortoises
Tortoises () are reptiles of the family Testudinidae of the order Testudines (Latin: ''tortoise''). Like other turtles, tortoises have a shell to protect from predation and other threats. The shell in tortoises is generally hard, and like other members of the suborder Cryptodira, they retract their necks and heads directly backward into the shell to protect them. Tortoises can vary in size with some species, such as the Galápagos giant tortoise, growing to more than in length, whereas others like the Speckled cape tortoise have shells that measure only long. Several lineages of tortoises have independently evolved very large body sizes in excess of 100 kg, including the Galapagos giant tortoise and the Aldabra giant tortoise. They are usually diurnal animals with tendencies to be crepuscular depending on the ambient temperatures. They are generally reclusive animals. Tortoises are the longest-living land animals in the world, although the longest-living species of t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Giant Tortoise
Giant tortoises are any of several species of various large land tortoises, which include a number of extinct species, as well as two extant species with multiple subspecies formerly common on the islands of the western Indian Ocean and on the Galápagos Islands. History As of March 2022, two different species of giant tortoise are found on two remote groups of tropical islands: Aldabra Atoll and Fregate Island in the Seychelles and the Galápagos Islands in Ecuador. These tortoises can weigh as much as and can grow to be long. Giant tortoises originally made their way to islands from the mainland via oceanic dispersal. Tortoises are aided in such dispersal by their ability to float with their heads up and to survive for up to six months without food or fresh water. Giant tortoises were once all placed in a single genus (often referred to as ''Testudo'' or ''Geochelone''), but more recent studies have shown that giant tortoises represent several distinct lineages that are n ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Solitudo
''Solitudo'' is an extinct genus of tortoise that was found during the Pliocene and Pleistocene on the Mediterranean islands of Menorca, Malta and Sicily. The genus includes three described species, ''Solitudo robusta'', ''Solitudo gymnesica'' and ''Solitudo sicula'' as well as a likely fourth, undescribed species from Monte Pellegrino in Sicily. ''Solitudo sicula'', the youngest of the species, died out approximately 12.5 thousand years BP. The largest species, ''Solitudo gymnesica'', has been estimated to have reached a carapace length of . History The oldest discoveries of fossil turtles now included under ''Solitudo'' were made in the 19th century, with Leith-Adams describing remains from Zebbug Cave (Malta) as ''Testudo robusta''. In 1914 ''Testudo gymnesica'' was described based on Pliocene material found on Menorca. Younger material was later discovered in the Zubbio di Cozzo San Pietro cave in northern Sicily. These remains, which include a femur, phalanx, pubis and a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
