Karoo Cape Tortoise
Encyclopedia
The Karoo cape tortoise or Karoo padloper (Homopus femoralis) is a tiny tortoise of the Homopus
genus, endemic to the Karoo
region of South Africa
.
This is the largest of the padloper tortoises, but it is nonetheless tiny, averaging slightly over 10 cm in length. Like its close relative, the beaked cape tortoise
, it has only four toes on its front feet. Its shell ranges in colour from olive to red, and is slightly flattened.
Its habitat
is restricted to rocky areas of the Great Karoo roughly from Pearston and Wolwefontein in the east to Sutherland
and Carnarvon in the west.
Little studied, it is not recognized in the IUCN database, although it appears in ITIS
and other databases.
Homopus
Homopus is a genus of tiny tortoises in the Testudinidae family. As a group, they are commonly known as "Cape tortoises" or "padlopers" , and include the smallest tortoises in the world....
genus, endemic to the Karoo
Karoo
The Karoo is a semi-desert region of South Africa. It has two main sub-regions - the Great Karoo in the north and the Little Karoo in the south. The 'High' Karoo is one of the distinct physiographic provinces of the larger South African Platform division.-Great Karoo:The Great Karoo has an area of...
region of South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
.
This is the largest of the padloper tortoises, but it is nonetheless tiny, averaging slightly over 10 cm in length. Like its close relative, the beaked cape tortoise
Beaked Cape Tortoise
The beaked cape tortoise or parrot-beaked padloper is a tiny species of tortoise of the Homopus genus.It is endemic to the Republic of South Africa and is found specifically in the Western Cape Province. Like its larger relative, the Karoo cape tortoise, it has only four toes on its front feet...
, it has only four toes on its front feet. Its shell ranges in colour from olive to red, and is slightly flattened.
Its habitat
Habitat
* Habitat , a place where a species lives and grows*Human habitat, a place where humans live, work or play** Space habitat, a space station intended as a permanent settlement...
is restricted to rocky areas of the Great Karoo roughly from Pearston and Wolwefontein in the east to Sutherland
Sutherland, Northern Cape
- External links :* * *...
and Carnarvon in the west.
Little studied, it is not recognized in the IUCN database, although it appears in ITIS
Itis
Itis may refer to* Integrated Taxonomic Information System, a partnership designed to provide consistent and reliable information on the taxonomy of biological species...
and other databases.