For some sad reason, many people shiver at the thought of reptiles. Some have fear of snakes, tagging all of them as dangerous. Others’ minds go to prehistoric assassins like crocodiles and alligators. My mom is screaming, stand-on-something afraid of lizards, regardless of how small they are. Then, there are gardeners, and reptiles are more […]
Tag: tortoise
50-Pound Tortoise Found Wandering Through Park in Texas
A 50-pound tortoise was found wandering through a park in San Antonio, Texas, after digging out of his human’s backyard. According to a Facebook post from the City of San Antonio Animal Care Services (San Antonio ACS), people walking through the park found the large tortoise on August 7. They knew that because there are […]
Saving Florida’s gopher tortoises: Group rescues reptiles from death by development
Though gopher tortoises have persisted for millions of years, they now face a barrage of threats from loss of habitat and developers with permits that allow the reptiles to be buried alive. From 1991-2007, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission issued incidental take permits (ITPs) allowing land owners to pay a fee that would allow […]
Fernandina Island Tortoise Is Not Extinct, New Study Confirms
Fernandina Island is an active volcano that stands alone on western periphery of the Galapagos Archipelago and is reputed to be the largest pristine island on Earth. Since 1906, evidence has accrued that a mysterious species of giant tortoise might exist on the island. A single specimen of a species named Chelonoidis phantasticus (the fantastic […]
Green light for return of red-footed tortoises to Argentina
It may be one of the slowest-moving conservation projects in history, not just because of the red tape, but due to the animals themselves: 40 red-footed tortoises are being released into El Impenetrable national park in Argentina in the coming weeks after being rescued from the illegal pet trade in Paraguay and transported to Argentina. […]
As animal seed dispersers go the way of the dodo, forest plants are at risk
The few remaining rainforests on Mauritius whisper with the memory of former residents, now ghosts. This once-lush Indian Ocean island remained mostly uninhabited by humans until 1598, when it became a Dutch port of call. By the time the French government took over some 150 years later and imported slaves to start sugar plantations, the […]
Septuagenarian giant Galapagos tortoise successfully mates with three younger females to produce offspring
DIRK, a 70-year-old Galapagos tortoise, has given birth to the first tortoise born in the United Kingdom. The sassy old-timer, named after well-endowed porn actor Dirk Diggler from the film Boogie Nights, mated with lover Charlie, who is 49 years his junior. He has also approached Zuzu and Isabella, the other two girls in his […]
Wild release marks return of giant forest tortoises to Bangladesh hills
Bangladesh’s population of one of the world’s largest tortoise species received a boost last month when researchers and villagers released 10 captive-bred juveniles into the evergreen forests of the Chattogram Hill Tracts. This initiative, in the rugged mountain range in the extreme southeast of the country bordering Myanmar and India, was the first rewilding of […]