🐢 Secrets of the radiated tortoise: Discover the fascinating Astrochelys radiata🌿
-
- Tropical Land Turtles
-
Julian -
June 1, 2024 at 1:37 PM -
106 Views -
0 Comments
In this episode of Reptil TV, Stefan visits a radiated tortoise breeding facility (Astrochelys Radiata) in Germany. This tortoise species, originally from Madagascar, is critically endangered and thus strictly protected (WA1). In the wild, they have become rare due to habitat destruction and use as a food source. The breeder has managed to establish a stable breeding population over decades to help preserve the species.
The radiated tortoises spend the summer outdoors and the winter in a large greenhouse. In winter, they lay their eggs, which hatch after about 90 days in the spring. The breeding facility houses about 20-30 adult animals and produces many offspring each year, including the sought-after "High Yellow" specimens with a high yellow content in their shells.
Stefan shows various behaviors of the tortoises, such as mating and courtship rituals. The juveniles are carefully documented and managed to ensure their origin and genetic diversity. The diet of the tortoises consists mainly of grasses and is supplemented with some calcium.
Stefan emphasizes the importance of breeding for species conservation and finally shows the size of the animals compared to his hand. He notes that the breeder wishes to remain anonymous to protect the animals from theft and encourages viewers to ask questions and rate the episode positively.
- Astrochelys radiata
- Radiated tortoise
- Madagascar
- Conservation
- tortoise breeding
- Reptil TV
- Stefan
- greenhouse
- winter housing
- breeding success
- High Yellow
- rare tortoises