Four-clawed tortoise species introduction

The four-clawed tortoise is a relatively common tortoise and belongs to the national first-class protected animal, but there are still many people raising it. The four-clawed tortoise feeding method is relatively simple, and it is more suitable for artificial feeding, and the requirements for the environment are not very high, so it is very popular among tortoise friends.

Chinese name: Four-clawed tortoise

Chinese alias: dry tortoise Tasipakataspaha steppe turtle

English name: CentralAsiantortoise

binomial: horsfieldi

Kingdom: Animalia

phylum: Chordata

Subphylum : Chordate

Class: Reptiles

Subclass: Reptiles

Order: Turtles

Suborders: Turtles 

Family: Tortoise

Subfamily: Tortoise

Genus: Tortoise

Subgenus: Tortoise

Species: Four-clawed tortoise

Distribution: Only found in Huocheng County, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.

Life habits: The four-clawed tortoise inhabits the desert land at an altitude of 700-1000 m, mainly in the loess hilly desert area.

Body size: 15cm～25cm. The carapace is round or oval and 6-8 inches (15-20 cm) long, although some individuals are occasionally reported to exceed 9 inches (23 cm).

Appearance: The carapace is distinctly flat along the vertebral scutum. The carapace varies in color from light tawny, through yellow-green, to olive, with brown or black markings on the larger scutellum.

Reproductive habits: oviparous. Every year in early spring (March to May), tortoises start searching for a mate immediately after waking up from hibernation.

Food: Herbivorous, food consisting entirely of herbs and succulents, including grasses (fresh and dry), twigs, flowers, fruits, and young of various native wild and cultivated plants Young stems and leaves.