Hermann's tortoise

Description:

Medium sized tortoise from the family Testudinidae. It has an attractive black-and-yellow patterned and domed shell, here some 25 cm in length.

Habitat:

This tortoise can be found throughout Southern Europe, while the observed subspecies T. h. boettgeri inhabits eastern Balkans, from Greece to Turkey. This subspecies include the population that was previously known as T. h. hercegovinensis, or Dalmatian tortoise, found relatively isolated in Dalmatian coastal region. Here, a hot and rather dry garden (our backyard) on terraces in urban area, with Mediterranean vegetation, both cultivated and wild - we have five or six tortoises who established themselves in this garden, and roam freely - the biggest mystery for the family is how do they change terraces... going downward we could somewhat understand, but going to back to the higher terraces is still unexplained...

Notes:

In Croatia, this tortoise is considered rare and endangered, and is therefore protected by the country laws and regulations. The main threats are the destruction of natural habitats, fires and illegal trade - it was noted that this tortoise is often on sale in some unregulated markets. In France, where Hermann's tortoise is rare and occurs in one mainland department (Var), similar regulations are in place.