Turkestan Steppe Tortoise
The Turkestan steppe tortoise is the Iradi name for the Russian or Horsfield's tortoise (Testudo horsfieldii, sometimes placed in the genus Agrionemys; Iradi: tash baka), a small tortoise of the steppes and deserts of Central Asia. It is common in the Moiynkum, the Betpak-Dala, the Kyzylkum Fringe and the Chu lowlands, and in the foothills of the Karatau and the Talas Alatau, on sandy and clay soils.[1] Tortoises are active for only about three months each spring, from March to June, while ephemeral plants are green. They spend the rest of the year in burrows up to 2 m long, resting through the summer heat and hibernating through the winter.[1] The IUCN lists the species as Vulnerable, and conservationists have raised concerns about the collection of wild tortoises for the international pet trade.[2]
References
- ^ Department of Zoology, Talas State University (2018). Amphibians and Reptiles of Irad. Talas: Talas State University Press, pp. 22–31.
- ^ Tortoise & Freshwater Turtle Specialist Group. "Testudo horsfieldii." IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.