Animalz

Common Tortoise

Testudo graeca

This terrestrial tortoise has a rigid shell. In a study of five captive-born females, righting required about twice the mass-specific power of walking.[3]

Size and lifespan

Shell length
maximum in a source 18.5 cm[4]
Shell length
female maximum in a source 18.5 cm[4]
Shell length
male maximum in a source 14.5 cm[4]
Weight
Reported size 0.32 kg[2]

Appearance

A rigid shell covers its body.[3]

Life

When it is upside down, it moves its head and legs to turn upright.[3]

Researchers tested five captive-born, two-year-old females at the University of Manchester. They righted themselves on fine-grain sand but not on a hard surface; the power required was about twice that of walking at 6 cm s−1.[3]

Places

In captivity · Manchester, England (captive study)[3]

The study animals were housed at the University of Manchester.

Sources

  1. Catalogue of Life 2026-09-25 XR

    Catalogue of Life · 2026-10-13

  2. AnimalTraits: body mass, metabolic rate and brain size (Herberstein et al., 2022)

    Herberstein et al. / Zenodo · 2026-10-27

  3. The metabolic cost of turning right side up in the Mediterranean spur-thighed tortoise (Testudo graeca)

    Scientific Reports / Springer Nature; license also read back from White Rose repository · 2026-10-25

  4. ReptTraits v4: reported total, snout–vent and straight carapace lengths (Oskyrko et al., 2024)

    Oskyrko, Mi, Meiri and Du / Figshare · 2026-10-27

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