Indian Star Tortoise

Indian Star Tortoise

It is believed that the Indian star tortoise (Geochelone elegans ) is threatened species of tortoise that is native in India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka in which it is found in areas of dry land and scrub forests.

It has been classified as vulnerable to the IUCN Red List since 2016 because the population is believed to be greater than 10,000 individuals, however with a decreasing trend. The endangered species is at risk due to the loss of habitat and poaching to facilitate the illegal trade in wildlife.

The status was elevated into CITES Appendix I the year 2019 with full agreement among all member states, providing the highest level of protection against commercial trade. Conservation group TRAFFIC discovered that 6,040 animals were confiscated across the globe, with the intention to be sold through the trade in pet products.

Diet and nutrition

Indian star tortoises mostly herbivores (folivores and frugivores) and mainly consume leaves, grasses fruit, flowers and occasionally insects, carrion, as well as dung.

DIET Herbivore, Folivore, Frugivore

Habits and Lifestyle

Indian star tortoises are typically crepuscular. That means they are active during the early morning hours and in the late afternoon in hot, dry conditions. In the rest times, they hide under the shade of vegetation or other shelter.

In the season of rain they become busier, moving about and eating for the majority of the time. They are inactive when they are in western India and Pakistan in the winter times of winter.

The animals that are solitary are not hibernating but when it’s extremely hot and dry, or extremely cold, they remain at a standstill.

Perception and communication is believed as mostly visual but olfactory and tactile senses are also employed in courtship, feeding and male competitive behavior and nesting. A male tortoise may communicate with females when mating.

GROUP NAME

bale, nest, turn, dole, creep

LIFESTYLE

Terrestrial, Precocial, Grazing, Torpor, Zoochory,

SEASONAL BEHAVIOR

Not a migrant, Hibernating