Testudo hermanni hermanni
Kingdom: Animal
Phylum: Cordata
Subphylum: Vertebrata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Testudines
Suborder: Cryptodira
Family: Testudinidae
Genre: Testudo
Species: T. hermanni
Subspecies: T. hermanni hermanni
The geographic distribution of T. hermanni hermanni includes Italy (the only local autochthonous species), southern France (Corsica included) and southernand western parts of Spain. Its preferred habitat is the Mediterranean shrubland, mainly along the coastline, but it can also be found in the inland countryside, hill areas included.
The morphological features of T. hermanni hermanni, especially those relating to the carapace, can be seen in Figs. 1 and 2. Adults reach a size of between 15 (males) and 20 cm (females) in length; the scutes are yellow, with black spots on the dorsal aspect of the shell; the plastron has two longitudinal and parallel black bands anda bilateral, symmetrical, light-coloured fleck is present on the cheeks. The diet ofthis chelonian species is purely herbivorous and consists of field vegetation that can easily be found in its native environment (Fig. 3).
T. hermanni hermanni is a hibernating species; hibernation usually begins around November, in excavated burrows sheltered from the wind and water, and ends in March-April, with the beginning of the breeding season. The optimal temperature range during hibernation is between 4 and 10°C; below this minimum temperature the animal risks freezing and death, while at temperatures over 10°C metabolism is reactivated and the animal comes out of hibernation. Hibernation should not exceed a duration of 20 weeks. In general, sexual maturity is reached when the shell’s length is of around 8-9 cm in males and 12-13 cm in females. Egg deposition takes place in nests excavated in the ground which are then covered and concealed with care. The number of layings varies from 2 to 3 during the period that starts from the month of May and are spaced between them by about a month, with around 3-5 eggs laid per clutch. The natural incubation time is of around 3 months, but it can also be shorter, depending on the local environmental temperature.
In its native distribution areas T. hermanni hermanni is best raised outdoors, as it is well-adapted to the local climate and environment. An enclosed garden, exposed to the sun and with available hiding places and vegetation, is ideal. When kept outdoors a male:female ratio of at least 1:3 should be respected, in view of the male’s libido and the violent nature of matings. The commonly accepted guidelines for the rearing of T. hermanni hermanni developed by the Italian Forestry Department (www.corpoforestale.it) specify, for example, that a surface area of 2 m2 should host no more than two specimens, in 6 m2 a maximum of 4 females and 1 male (or 8 females), and so forth. Obviously, the greater the space and the availability of females the greater the number of males which can be accommodated. For indoor housing, the same guidelines indicate a minimum surface area of 1.08 m2 for the accommodation of one adult specimen (or of 8 specimens with a shell’s length <10 cm), 1.62 m2 for 4 adults (or 14 young specimens) and so forth, always paying attention to the coexistence with sexually mature males.
T. hermanni hermanni is included in the CITES Appendix II and in Annex B to Regulation (EC) No 1332/2005.