It's not you it's me! Tortoises end their 115 year 'marriage' after female starts attacking her male mate

By Daily Mail Reporter



Tortoises Bibi and Poldi who have been partners for 115 years have broken up

..A pair of zoo tortoises who have been partners for 115 years have sadly broken up - marking the end of what could be the world's longest animal 'marriage'.

Long-time lovers Bibi and Poldi, both giant tortoises aged 115, have been together since just after their births.

But zoo workers at the Reptilienzoo Happ in Austria have had to separate them after female Bibi started attacking mate Poldi.

Female Bibi started attacking mate Poldi and even bit off a part of his shell

'We get the feeling they can't stand the sight of each other anymore,' said Zoo boss Helga Happ.

'For no reason that anyone can discover they seem to have fallen out, they just can't stand each other,'

Keepers at the tourist attraction realised something was up when Bibi bit off a part of Poldi's shell.

She attacked again a number of times until he was moved to a separate enclosure for his safety.

The zoo even tried bringing in experts to try and save the union.


Zoo workers at the Reptilienzoo Happ in Austria have had to separate the pair

The zoo even tried bringing in experts but feared that the 100kg reptiles might kill each other

They administered tortoise aphrodisiacs to try and bring fun back into the relationship.

And to test if it was safe to reintroduce them after a period apart, the zoo made a fake version of Poldi covered in his smell. But Bibi ignored the 'dummy'.

Sadly they have had no luck to date and fear the 100kg reptiles might kill each other if forced together.

Happ added that it was 'very rare' for animals who are a pair to fall apart after so long.

'We hope very much that we can find a way to bring them back together,' she said.



source:dailymail

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Shellshocked! Giant tortoise sets the pace for her 45 babies... but who's the daddy?

By Emma Reynolds


Learning to crawl: Kali, pictured with some of her 45 children, is hard pressed to keep up with the huge brood


It is hard enough looking after one child, but this giant tortoise has to keep up with a mammoth brood of 45.

The African Sulcata - one of the largest species of tortoise in the world - laid the eggs in two clutches at Linton Zoo in Cambridgeshire.

Mother Kali, an African name meaning 'energetic', had her children in March and April and they are now about four inches long.

Tortoise and the haring off: Kali, right, and Louis, one of four possible fathers to the clan, chase after their herd


But adult Sulcatas are the largest species of mainland tortoise and can grow to between 24 and 36 inches (60-90cm), weighing up to 14-and-a-half stone.

They are the third largest species of tortoise in the world, second only to the Galapagos and the Aldabra.

But the mystery of who fathered the crowd of children is an even weightier problem, as there are four adult males at the 18 acre wildlife park they call home.

Zoo spokeswomen Dawny Greenwood has simply been battling to get the tiny tortoises to look at the camera at the same time - a problem many parents will find familiar.

She said: 'Getting these newly hatched all looking the same way proved to be an impossible task.

'Babies are not normally kept loose in the paddock with the adults, but enjoy the comfort and safety of nice warm vivariums with UV and Infra-red lamps, but we wanted to try to get a nice family portrait.


Scaling new heights: The babies are only four inches long, but will reach 24 to 36 inches by adulthood

Giant ambition: Hulking Kali, right, and Louis play with the babies at Linton Zoo, where they were born


'The Sulcata giant tortoises have always featured highly with us, our herd of six breeding adults average around 40 years old and they are all ex-pets.

'One has travelled the world with its former owner having been rescued as a hatchling from children using him as a football in Mauritania, Africa.

'We are not sure of the dad as we have four males - Louis is pictured as it is a case of "who's the daddy then?"'

Kali is 30 years old and weighs 9st 6lbs, measuring 30 inches in length. The average lifespan of a Sulcata - or African spurred tortoise - is 30 to 50 years but tortoises are some of the longest lived creatures on the planet, with the oldest on record reportedly reaching 165 years old.

Ms Greenwood described how the eggs - which are usually around the size of golf balls - were protected after they hatched.

'The female tortoise will dig out a large scrape in which to lay the eggs, however each year the eggs have to be removed as the climate here does not allow for natural hatching.

'The eggs are collected and incubated at a constant 30 degrees until hatching.'


source:dailymail

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Where's the lid on this thing? Tortoise won't come out of his shell to play with lions... which is why he escaped

By Chris Brooke


Lions in need of a tin opener after being outwitted by a leopard tortoise


When an unfortunate tortoise wandered into a pride of lions there appeared to be only one possible outcome.

So the tortoise did what all tortoises do in such sticky situations…it went into its shell and awaited the inevitable.

But luckily the young lioness cubs were clearly puzzled by the strange shelled creature in their midst and didn’t know what to do next.


Trying to work out if it was a snack or an unusual toy, they licked it, pawed it, squashed it and attempted to eat it.

Nothing seemed to work and every time that hard shell got in the way.

And so having famously outwitted the speedy hare, the tortoise proved too smart for the king of the beasts.

Eventually the female lion cubs got bored of their plaything and moved on in search of a tastier meal.

Tourist Mike Cullis, 62, who took the amazing pictures, said the tortoise appeared to suffer no serious injury and survived its ordeal.

Mr Cullis, a former operations manager in the oil and gas industry from Tenby, Dyfed, snapped the scene whilst on safari in the Masai Mara game reserve in Kenya last week.

Puzzle: A cub licks the tortoise in the Masai Mara game reserve in Kenya

He said: 'They seemed to get bored with it after an hour or so and once the lions had gone I think the tortoise just wandered off. I should think it had a bit of a headache though.

'I am convinced they were playing with it like a toy. Let's face it, a tortoise is not much of a meal for a lion. They have much bigger meals than a tortoise would provide.

'The young female lions were about 18 months old and very playful. At one point as a lion played with it, another one came over and put its paw on the tortoise as if to say: "Let me have a go."

Bored: Interest begins to wane as the lions can't open the tortoise shell


'One of the very experienced guides who was with us said they had only ever seen lions playing with a tortoise like this once before. It was a rare sight and I felt very privileged to witness it.

'I don't actually think the lions would have been capable of carving the tortoise open because they have very thick shells and are incredibly well designed for defence.'

It was identified as a leopard tortoise - the fourth largest species of tortoise in the world. Adults typically reach 18 in in size and weigh 40lbs.

They defend themselves from predators by retracting their feet and head into their shell. This often results in a hissing sound, probably due to the squeezing of air from the lungs as the limbs and head are retracted.

They can move relatively fast and stay underwater for 10 minutes.


source:dailymail

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Down here! Baby tortoise hatches that is 3,000 times smaller than its mother

Galapagos tortoise becomes first time mum at ripe old age of 90

By Mail Foreign Service


This newborn Galapagos tortoise looks tiny as it stands next to its massive mum - who is a staggering 3,000 times bigger.

The hatchling weighed just 87 grams when it was born and will take 30 years to get to the same size as its mother, who is a massive 256 kilos.

Keepers will not know if it is male or female for several years so have given it the unisex name NJ.

The tortoise - who is barely the size of its mum's foot - can expect to live to 150 years.

Hello titch: This newborn Galapagos hatchling weighed just 87 grams when it was born and will take 30 years to get to the same size as its mother

Its mum has become a first-time mother at the age of 90 but will play no role in its up-bringing.

As soon as a Galapagos tortoise is born they are left to fend for themselves.

The youngster is now roaming around its pen and nibbling on fruit and flowers at Taronga Western Plains Zoo in New South Wales, Australia.

Keeper Jennifer Conaghan said: 'A Galapagos tortoise can live between 100 and 150 years so we expect NJ to be around long after we have all gone.

'It loves exploring the outside environment and is especially active on warm sunny days.


Hungry fella: Keepers will not know if the Galapagos addition is male or female for several years so have given it the unisex name NJ

'We are very careful with NJ's diet and it currently gets fed three to four times per week.

'The diet is as varied as possible and includes a variety of edible plant species, lucerne hay, herbs and finely chopped fruit and vegetables.

'Our Galapagos tortoise are responsive to bright coloured, edible flowers and fruit, such as roses, hibiscus, grapes and watermelon. But just like any youngster we ensure the hatchling eats all the veggies first.'

The zoo has been attempting to breed the Galapagos Tortoise for the last ten years.

Jennifer added: 'It involves manipulating and fine-tuning our husbandry techniques to achieve this fantastic result.

'At the end of the day however, regardless of what we do, it is up to the individual animals compatibility.

'There has only been a handful of zoos around the world that have had success with breeding this species and we currently have more eggs in the incubator.

'The incubation process is very temperature dependant and once the female lays the eggs the incubation time may take three to five months.

'NJ weighed in at about 87gms at hatching, which is about 0.00034 per cent of the size of its mum. It therefore has lots of growing to do over the next 30 years or so until it catches up.

'Although the size difference is huge, NJ is an exact replica of the adults.

'It's amazing to think of how much growing it has to do and the challenges any young hatchling would struggle with in the wild.

'Galapagos Tortoise are very responsive to getting a rub under the chin from their keepers and will stand up and extend themselves up for as long as you want to scratch them.

'They do have loads of personality but like everything to do with them - nothing happens quickly so you just have to be a little more patient to see it.'



source:dailymail

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On me 'ead son: Four-day-old tortoise is riding high as he hitches a lift with mother

By Chris Parsons


Ahead of the game: One of the 5.5cm babies rests in the sunshine on its mother's head


When you're less than 6cm long and only four days old, you can't be blamed for hitching a ride with your parents.

That was certainly the case for this tiny tortoise, which took the chance of a free lift after being placed on its mother's head at Nyiregyhaza Animal Park in Hungary.

The adorable African spurred tortoise was one of eight babies born at the park 226km east of Budapest last week.

Slowly does it: The mother tortoise starts off with her four-day old youngsters riding on her shell


The 5.5cm baby, Geochelone sulcata, who only weighs 25 grams, and its seven siblings are the first African spurred tortoises born at the zoo.

The eight babies had hatched after 115 days, but clearly look like they still need a bit of help getting around.

The spurred tortoise is the largest species of land tortoise in Africa, with the weight of an adult animal sometimes reaching 80kgs.

African spurred tortoises are the third-largest species in the world, behind the Galapagos tortoise and the Aldabra giant tortoise.

Their lifespan is between 30 and 50 years, with the oldest one in captivity thought to have survived to 54.

No head for heights? The baby tortoise appears to have disappeared into its shell after being given a front row seat for the journey


Small wonders: But the baby African spurred tortoises could grow to up to 80 or 90kg as adults



source:dailymail

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Aldabra giant tortoise

A zookeeper lures an Aldabra giant tortoise onto a scale at the Artis Zoo in Amsterdam August 10, 2011. The tortoises are weighed every two years to check their health.



An Aldabra giant tortoise walks toward the camera as two others are weighed on a scale at the Artis Zoo in Amsterdam August 10, 2011. The tortoises are weighed every two years to check their health.



Two Aldabra giant tortoises mate at the Artis Zoo in Amsterdam August 10, 2011.



A zookeeper lures an Aldabra giant tortoise onto a scale at the Artis Zoo in Amsterdam August 10, 2011. The tortoises are weighed every two years to check their health.



A woman weighs a giant tortoise at the Artis Zoo in Amsterdam on August 10, 2011 during their biennial weightings as part of their general health check up. The heaviest tortoise weighed 229 kilos.


source: daylife
photo: Reuters

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This tortoise would win a race against any hare! Tuly is fitted with toy tractor wheel after leg is chewed off by rat while she was hibernating

By Daily Mail Reporter


Up to speed: Tuly the tortoise is now faster than all her friends after having a wheel fitted to replace a leg after a rat gnawed it off while she hibernated


Tuly the tortoise is really coming out of her shell after she was fitted with a child's toy tractor wheel after a run-in with a rat left her with only three legs.

Vets fitted the tiny wheel with the help of some velcro to take the place of her severed front right limb last month - and she's already racing around on her new prosthetic attachment.

Her ordeal happened when the voracious rodent decided to chew off the appendage while the tortoise, thought to be about 45 years old, was fast asleep during her winter hibernation.

Scroll down to see another tortoise on wheels...

But experts think she somehow managed to fight off the rodent and save her life despite her sleepy state.

After vets had operated to save her life at the end of last year, Norfolk Tortoise Club in Norwich called vets to fit the wheel to get her fully mobile again.

Eleanor Tirtasana, the club's chief re-homing officer, said: 'She can now scoot around freely and gives her mates a run for their money at feeding time.'

The op was carried out last month after her father Philip Chubb had engineered the new limb after buying a toy tractor at a car boot sale.

He explained: 'She was mobile but very off balance and slow. We knew we needed to think of something that would help her without hurting her obviously.'

'She was rubbing away her shell because it was scraping along the ground when she walked. It was a problem that would have lead to more complications.'

However, Mr Chubb the operation had been such an immediate success, she'd instantly become speedier than before.

He mused: 'She clearly didn't mind having it on and seemed delighted to scoot off to feed on the weeds.

'She's now actually the fastest tortoise we have which is rather funny.'


Cracked it: Norfolk Tortoise Club's chief re-homing officer Eleanor Tirtasana proudly shows off Tuly after her wheely great operation


Eleanor said many tortoises are struggling to recover this spring from a tough hibernation because of the harsh winter.

She explained: 'Unfortunately, many tortoises froze during hibernation in sheds or suffered ill effects from excessively low temperatures.

'Tortoises need monitoring during hibernation, and we are always available to help people who contact us for advice.

'We know far more nowadays about these reptiles and how they function than we did when they were imported in the 1960s.

'All the tortoises that have survived living in the damp UK since then are now reaching old age and, like us, require a little more help in their later years.'

A spokesman for the group added: 'We see many tortoise cases involving damage caused by rat, fox and dog attacks.'




source:dailymail

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Giant tortoises slowly but surely rescue tropical island's ebony forest

By Daily Mail Reporter


-Intensive logging had decimated the ebony forest which once covered the Ile aux Aigrettes, off Mauritius
-Aldabra tortoises were brought in 2000 to eat the fruit of the ebony tree and disperse the seeds in their faeces

'Rewilding': British scientists brought the giant Aldabra tortoise to the Ile aux Aigrettes, off Mauritius, to help disperse ebony tree seeds


Giant tortoises have rescued the ecology of a tropical island devastated by deforestation in a successful example of 'rewilding'.

British scientists brought the giant Aldabra tortoise - Aldabrachelys gigantea - to the Ile aux Aigrettes, off Mauritius, to help disperse ebony tree seeds.

Intensive logging that lasted until the early 1980s has decimated the ebony forest which once covered the 25-hectare island.


Even though logging ceased 30 years ago after the disappearance of the island's native Aldabra tortoises, large tracts of land remain denuded of trees. This is especially true in the northern and eastern coastal areas nearest to the mainland.

The tortoises, which can reach a length of almost 4ft and weigh 500lb, were re-introduced in 2000 to eat the fruit of the ebony tree and disperse the seeds in their faeces.

The strategy worked better than experts had hoped, leading to the widespread establishment of new ebony seedlings in heavily logged parts of the island.

Not only were seeds sown across the island, but passing through the tortoise's gut seemed to improve their germination.


Going about his business: The tortoises were re-introduced in 2000 to eat the fruit of the ebony tree and disperse the seeds in their faeces


Lead scientist Christine Griffiths, from the University of Bristol, said: 'Our results demonstrate that the introduction of these effective seed dispersers is aiding the recovery of this critically endangered tree whose seeds were previously seed-dispersal limited.

'Reversible rewilding experiments such as ours are necessary to investigate whether extinct interactions can be restored.'

Colleague Professor Stephen Harris said: 'Ecological restoration projects generally involve the plant community, as more often the animal components are extinct.

'There is, however, increasing evidence that restoration ecologists should be most concerned with the decline of species interactions, rather than species extinctions per se.

'Species interactions structure ecological communities, and provide essential ecosystem processes and functions such as pollination, seed dispersal and browsing, that are necessary for the self-regulation and persistence of a community.'

Details of the project are reported in the journal Current Biology.


source:dailymail

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The tortoise who is smaller than a grape

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER

Tiny Tim bashes his nose into the grape which proves a difficult obstacle for the miniature tortoise to shift


Met with the obstacle of a humble grape, most animals would swot it aside or even tuck into its tasty contents.

But for tiny Tim the tortoise the fruit proves more of a challenge.

That's because the grape and the reptile have something in common, their size.

Tim weighs in at just 6g and at his maximum will only reach 500g - the equivalent of just a couple of large bunches.

The exotic Kleinmann tortoise, who is just a month-old, is part of a litter seized by HM Customs and Excise last year.

The small sea creatures were destined for the illegal pet trade in the UK - but have now been rehomed at Whipsnade Zoo in Bedfordshire.

The reptiles originate from Egypt and Libya and live for around 10 years.

However, since their habitat in Egypt was destroyed, they are now extinct in the country and on the global critically endangered list.


This Kleinmann tortoise weighs in at just 6g and is on the critical endangered list of animals


The animals, who can also be known by the names Egyptian Tortoise and Leith's tortoise, are the smallest of the species in the northern hemisphere.

They can range in colour from pale gold to dark brown, a characteristic that allows them to stay in the desert heat for long periods of time and act as camouflage.

The animal habitat is often that of dry areas, with sand, dry woodland and scrubs among the areas they choose. Their diet consists of grasses, fruits and vegetables.


source: dailymail

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Two heads are better than one: Mutant tortoise comes out of his shell

By OLIVER PICKUP

Double header: Magda (left) and Lenka make up a seven-week-old African Spurred Tortoise discovered in Slovakia


Held up in between two human fingers, this amazing two-headed African Spurred Tortoise is a rare sight to behold - and even evolutionist Charles Darwin would struggle to explain its unique deformity.

Delicate, precious and tiny, this pair, who have been handed two names - Madga (left head) and Lenka - are only seven weeks' old.

The duo, born in Slovenia in mind November, also have five legs (one more than normal) and were displayed in Zilina today.

Although the tortoise looks small now, it should grow much, much bigger. In fact, the species are the third largest in the world, after Darwin's friends, the Galapagos Tortoise, and the Aldabra Giant Turtle.


Unique: The rare tortoise also has five feet and was displayed at Zilina on Monday


The African spurred tortoise, which in Latin is Geochelone sulcata (geo - earth; chelone - tortoise; and sulcus - furrow (in reference to the distinctive scales)), is the biggest mainland tortoise in the world.

Usually they inhabit the southern edge of the Sahara desert, in northern Africa and adults are usually 18 inches (45 cm) in shell length, and weigh 70 to 100 pounds.


Fits in the hand: Adults can grow to have 24 to 36 inch long (60-90 cm) shells weighing 150 pounds (70 kg)


Specimens with 24 to 36 inch long (60-90 cm) shells weighing 150 pounds (70 kg) are not unknown and they grow from hatchling size (2-3 inches) very quickly, reaching 6-10 inches (15-25 cm) within the first few years of their lives.

The lifespan of an African Spurred Tortoise is about 30-50 years, though can live much longer - the oldest in captivity is 54 years, located in the Giza Zoological Gardens, Egypt, 1986.


On the up: Though the tortoise is tiny now, the species will grow to become the third biggest in the world


source: dailymail

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Burmese Star Tortoise

A handout photograph released on February 28, 2011 shows a Burmese Star Tortoise hatching from its egg at the Taipei Zoo February 24, 2011.


The Taipei Zoo and Taiwan Council of Agriculture pledged $10,000 on Monday to the Turtle Survival Alliance for the development and growth of the Burmese Star Tortoise which is deemed critically endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. Picture taken February 24, 2011.


source: daylife
photo: Reuters

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Oakland Zoo

A pancake tortoise is seen at the Oakland Zoo Thursday, Sept. 30, 2010, in Oakland, Calif. The zoo welcomes three new pancake tortoises, one male and two females, who are named Flapjack, Maple, and Mrs. Butterworth. The male is twenty-three years old, one female is sixteen years old, and Maple is three years old. The pancakes came from the Bronx Zoo in New York on August 10, 2010.





An African elephant blows dirt on itself to aid in protection from the sun at the Oakland Zoo Thursday, Sept. 30, 2010, in Oakland, Calif. The Bay area has endured a heat wave this week, with temperatures into the 90's.



A group of meercats stand at attention at the Oakland Zoo Thursday, Sept. 30, 2010, in Oakland, Calif.


photo: AP

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