Russian and Hermann

[pepsiandjac]

I just read something someone posted on facebook , "Russians and Herman's are in the same family right but they are just different patterns and they come from a different place but there still related somehow."
I know they are both testudo but how closely related are they,I always thought they were totally different

 

[dmmj]

closely related but still different

 

[Merrick]

They are different species but the same genus (testudo)

 

[dmmj]

They are different species but the same genus (testudo)

that's what I meant

 

[Tidgy's Dad]

Kingdom : Animalia (animals)
Phylum : Chordata ( central notochord or nerve down back)
Subphylum : Vertebrata ( backbone around the notochord).
Class : Reptilia ( reptiles)
Order : Testudines ( shelled reptiles , tortoises, turtles and extinct forms.)
Suborder : Cryptodira ( all living tortoises and turtles except the side necked turtles that are in their own suborderleurodira)
Superfamily : Testundinoidea ( tortoises, pond turtles, Asian turtles and the big-headed turtle.)
Family : Testudinidae ( true land tortoises)
Genus : Testudo ( Mediterranean tortoises.)
Species : horsfieldii ( Russian tortoise, probably should have it's own Genus, Agrionemys).
: hermanni ( Hermann's tortoise)
: graeca (Greek tortoise)
: kleinmanni ( Egyptian tortoise)
: marginata ( Marginated tortoise )

 

[Tidgy's Dad]

That should be Pleurodira above, not sure what happened with the emoji there ???

 

[pepsiandjac]

So basically they are just from the Mediterranean,and are probably two completely different tortoises

 

[Tom]

So basically they are just from the Mediterranean,and are probably two completely different tortoises

No. Russians are not from the Mediterranean.

They are different species, but in the same genus. Totally different animals. Like lions and tigers. Or Komodo dragons and Ackie monitors.

 

[Tidgy's Dad]

Mediterranean Tortoises as a group term is sometimes used (as in the Species Specific section on Tortoise Forum) to give a common name to the genus Testudo. Often in literature it is used a little more accurately to describe The Greek and Hermann's tortoise. And so on, it is not a recognized scientific clade.
A species is loosely defined as a group of animals which can produce fertile offspring.
The different species within a genus are very similar and closely related genetically and can often interbreed and produce offspring like these tortoises, lions and tigers, donkeys and horses and so on, but the offspring are typically (though not quite always) sterile.
@Tom . Do you know if mixed species Testudo are fertile or sterile ?
Thanks.

 

[dmmj]

my Russian come from Afghanistan. I wonder if they are part of a sleeper cell?

 

[Tom]

@Tom . Do you know if mixed species Testudo are fertile or sterile ?

I've never seen or heard of a Testudo hybrid between two different species. I've seen mixed subspecies of greeks, hermanni and presumably horsfields too, but I've never seen an actual hybrid. If they exist, I just haven't come across it.

 

[dmmj]

I've never seen or heard of a Testudo hybrid between two different species. I've seen mixed subspecies of greeks, hermanni and presumably horsfields too, but I've never seen an actual hybrid. If they exist, I just haven't come across it.

just like Bigfoot and pictures of Jacqui supposed to exist but no one seen them

 

[Tidgy's Dad]

I've never seen or heard of a Testudo hybrid between two different species. I've seen mixed subspecies of greeks, hermanni and presumably horsfields too, but I've never seen an actual hybrid. If they exist, I just haven't come across it.

Thanks, possibly too differentiated to produce offspring at all.

 

[Tom]

just like Bigfoot and pictures of Jacqui supposed to exist but no one seen them

So you are saying that Jacqui and Bigfoot are in the same Genus? Okay.