''Centrochelys'' is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial nom ...

tortoise 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 oth ...

. It contains one extant species and several extinct species: * '' Centrochelys atlantica'' * ''

Centrochelys burchardi The Tenerife giant tortoise (''Centrochelys burchardi'') is an extinct species of cryptodire turtle in the family Testudinidae endemic to the island of Tenerife, in the Canary Islands. Characteristics It was a large tortoise, similar to tho ...

'' * '' Centrochelys marocana'' * '' Centrochelys robusta'' * '' Centrochelys vulcanica'' * ''

Centrochelys sulcata The African spurred tortoise (''Centrochelys sulcata''), also called the sulcata tortoise, is a species of tortoise inhabiting the southern edge of the Sahara desert in Africa. It is the largest mainland species of tortoise in the world, and the ...

'' (African spurred tortoise) The largest species, ''C. marocana'', reached in carapace length. The

conservation status The conservation status of a group of organisms (for instance, a species) indicates whether the group still exists and how likely the group is to become extinct in the near future. Many factors are taken into account when assessing conservation ...

of ''Centrochelys sulcata '' has been changed from Vulnerable to

Threatened Threatened species are any species (including animals, plants and fungi) which are vulnerable to endangerment in the near future. Species that are threatened are sometimes characterised by the population dynamics measure of '' critical depe ...

with extinction by the

International Union for Conservation of Nature The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN; officially International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natu ...

because of seasonal wildfires, the international pet trade, and competition for food and space with other domestic animals.

References

{{Testudinidae Turtle genera Reptile genera with one living species Taxa named by John Edward Gray Testudinidae