Testudo Marginata Questions

Xelioszzapporro

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Hi guys. Today I would like to learn about the Testudo Marginata. Which I think is the biggest of the Mediterranean land tortoise.
So here are the questions...please answer them to help me sirs.


1. How long are they in cm or inches (male and female)
2. How much do they weigh ?
3. Is the incubation of their eggs as long as the other Mediterranean Tortoise ? (60-90 days)
4. Why is their carapace so long in the back ? Is it for protection from predators or/and something else ?
5. Where they can be found ?

@Tom @zovick @ZEROPILOT @Yvonne G @wellington @pacific chelonians


Testudo_marginata7.jpg
 

zovick

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3,386
Hi guys. Today I would like to learn about the Testudo Marginata. Which I think is the biggest of the Mediterranean land tortoise.
So here are the questions...please answer them to help me sirs.


1. How long are they in cm or inches (male and female)
2. How much do they weigh ?
3. Is the incubation of their eggs as long as the other Mediterranean Tortoise ? (60-90 days)
4. Why is their carapace so long in the back ? Is it for protection from predators or/and something else ?
5. Where they can be found ?

@Tom @zovick @ZEROPILOT @Yvonne G @wellington @pacific chelonians


View attachment 351646
This site has answers to most of your questions: https://www.hermannihaven.com/testudo-marginata

Check it out first and then try to contact the owner himself (Chris Leone) for more questions or to buy babies, etc.
 

Xelioszzapporro

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Panama
If I knew who they were, I would. One is no longer active. If I think of the others I will tag them.
This site has answers to most of your questions: https://www.hermannihaven.com/testudo-marginata

Check it out first and then try to contact the owner himself (Chris Leone) for more questions or to buy babies, etc.
Excellent questions
But I know nothing about the species


I think thanks to the link that zovick posted a lot of questions have been answered.

1. So apparently the males are bigger than females. 24cm to 30cm if not more. Which is interesting since in the smaller Testudo species like the Graeca and the Hermani , the males are smaller than females. Notably smaller in fact


2. The weight of the males can go up to 6kg. While females may not reach 3kg.

3. The incubation period is not something that I found yet. So I will probably ask this Chris Leone guy. However he did say that females mate when they reach 20cm size. So there is that. And he also said that the carapace becomes more black and darker as they age. So based on the color of the carapace you can determine who is younger and who is older. As well as the hatchling color difference from other Testudo species. They are more cream like in color


4. Why they have elongated carapace that covers their legs is still a mystery to me. But I will ask that Chris Leone guy.

5. And they apparently can be found in Italy , Greece and Albania. So that was nice to know too.
 

MarginatedMooney

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To try to answer question 4.:

I've read that Marginated tortoises are elongated and have the flaring at the backs of their shells because they live in hilly, rocky terrain and it helps them stabilize themselves and not flip over while they're climbing rocks. I don't know if that is a fact or a theory, but it seems plausible.
 
Last edited:

vniveri25

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I would like to add one more question here guys. I wanted to get greek one, but they sold me testudo marginata, well they offered me later to exchange this tortoise but we already really like this little guy. But what worries me most - i've read that marginata lives just about 20 years, we wanted long linving greek where they can get to 100 yo, and there's no problem to achieve 60-80 years with good caring. So what worries me that this turtle wont live so ling, is this really true about their age?
 

MarginatedMooney

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I would like to add one more question here guys. I wanted to get greek one, but they sold me testudo marginata, well they offered me later to exchange this tortoise but we already really like this little guy. But what worries me most - i've read that marginata lives just about 20 years, we wanted long linving greek where they can get to 100 yo, and there's no problem to achieve 60-80 years with good caring. So what worries me that this turtle wont live so ling, is this really true about their age?
To my knowledge, Marginateds also can live ~60-80 years. I think at 20 years they stop growing?
 

Orcsloot

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Corpus Christi, Texas
I would like to add one more question here guys. I wanted to get greek one, but they sold me testudo marginata, well they offered me later to exchange this tortoise but we already really like this little guy. But what worries me most - i've read that marginata lives just about 20 years, we wanted long linving greek where they can get to 100 yo, and there's no problem to achieve 60-80 years with good caring. So what worries me that this turtle wont live so ling, is this really true about their age?
im the new keeper and or bff to a 1+ year old marginated tort named Cherub McWigglesWorth The Third and my hundreds of hours of research concluded they actually live wel past 100years if well kept i dont think ive heard of any tortoises living as few as 20 years maybe red eared slider turtles or other swimmmers but def not testudo maginata
 

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