Angonoka tortoise facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Angonoka tortoise |
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Astrochelys
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yniphora
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The angonoka tortoise (Astrochelys yniphora) is a special kind of tortoise. It is one of the rarest tortoises in the world. This tortoise is in great danger because people illegally take them to sell as pets.
It lives only in Madagascar, a large island country. People also call it the ploughshare tortoise or Madagascar tortoise. There might be fewer than 400 of these tortoises left in the wild. They live in the dry forests of the Baly Bay area in northwestern Madagascar. This includes the Baie de Baly National Park.
Scientists and conservation groups are working hard to protect them. They have set up special places to breed the tortoises. They also work with local communities to keep the tortoises safe.
Contents
What is the Angonoka Tortoise?
This tortoise was first described in 1885 by a French scientist named Léon Vaillant. He named it Testudo yniphora. The name "yniphora" means "ploughshare bearer" in Greek. This name comes from the unique shape of a part of its shell. This part, called the gular scute, sticks out like a plough.
The angonoka tortoise and the radiated tortoise are the only two species in the group called Astrochelys. This group belongs to the family Testudinidae, which is the main family for all tortoises. The local people in Madagascar call this tortoise "angonoka."
What Does the Angonoka Tortoise Look Like?
The angonoka tortoise has a shell that is very rounded, like a dome. It is light brown with clear rings on each part of the shell. These rings show how the tortoise has grown over time. The outer parts of its shell are a darker brown.
A special part of its shell, called the gular scute, sticks out from the front of its bottom shell (plastron). It curves upwards towards its neck. This is what gives it the "ploughshare" name.
Male angonoka tortoises are bigger than females. Males can grow up to 43 centimeters (17 inches) long. An average adult male weighs about 10.3 kilograms (22.7 pounds). Females are a bit smaller, averaging about 37 centimeters (14.6 inches) long and weighing about 8.8 kilograms (19.4 pounds).
Where Do Angonoka Tortoises Live?
Angonoka tortoises are found only in Madagascar. They are endemic to this island, meaning they don't live anywhere else in the wild. They live in the dry forests around Baly Bay in northwestern Madagascar. This area is near the town of Soalala. The Baie de Baly National Park helps protect their home.
Their home area is quite small, only about 25 to 60 square kilometers (9.7 to 23 square miles). This region has different types of land, like savanna, mangrove swamps, and dry forests. They especially like areas with bamboo and shrubs. These plants are usually under 2 meters (6.6 feet) tall. The land where they live is also very low, less than 50 meters (164 feet) above sea level.
How Many Angonoka Tortoises Are Left?
Scientists have been counting angonoka tortoises for many years. In the 1970s and 1980s, they thought there were only a few hundred left. Later estimates in the 2000s suggested there were between 440 and 770 tortoises.
In 2005, a group called the Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust (DWCT) estimated about 800 tortoises in the wild. However, by 2008, the number was thought to have dropped to around 400. Because of this big drop, the tortoise is now listed as critically endangered. This means it is very close to disappearing forever.
To help, the DWCT started a breeding center in Madagascar in 1986. They successfully bred the first angonoka tortoises there the next year. In 1998, they released the first captive-bred tortoises into the Baie de Baly National Park. By 2015, 100 tortoises had been released back into the wild. Some of these released tortoises even had babies of their own in the wild!
Sadly, in 2016, more tortoises were stolen from the breeding center. It was believed that the wild population had dropped to only about 100 adult tortoises. This shows how serious the threat is to these animals.
What Do Angonoka Tortoises Eat and How Do They Behave?
Angonoka tortoises mostly eat grasses that grow in open, rocky areas with bamboo. They also eat different types of shrubs, small plants, and herbs. They have been seen eating dead bamboo leaves, but not fresh ones. Sometimes, they even eat dried animal waste from bushpigs and other meat-eating animals.
The main danger to young angonoka tortoises and their eggs is the introduced bushpig. These pigs eat the eggs and baby tortoises.
Angonoka tortoises usually become old enough to have babies when they are about 15 years old. A female tortoise can lay one to six eggs at a time. She can lay up to four groups of eggs each year. The time when they lay eggs is from January to May. This happens when the rainy season begins. About 4 out of every 10 eggs laid will hatch into baby tortoises.
In places where they are kept, male tortoises sometimes fight. They ram, push, and try to flip each other over using their special gular scute. This is how they show who is stronger.
How Are Angonoka Tortoises Being Protected?
The angonoka tortoise is one of the rarest land tortoises in the world. It is listed as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List. This means it is at very high risk of becoming extinct.
The biggest dangers to these tortoises are:
- Fires: People sometimes start fires to clear land for cattle. These fires can get out of control and burn the tortoise's home.
- Illegal Pet Trade: People illegally capture these tortoises to sell them as pets around the world. This is a huge problem because they are in high demand.
- Bushpigs: These animals eat the tortoise eggs and young.
- Small Habitat: The tortoises live in a very small area. If something bad happens there, like a disease or a big storm, it could wipe out the whole species.
Conservation groups are working hard to protect them. They help local communities create "firebreaks" using controlled fires. This stops bigger wildfires from spreading. This has helped reduce the amount of habitat burned each year.
To make them less attractive to poachers, conservationists sometimes mark the tortoises' shells. This marking makes them less valuable to illegal collectors.
The angonoka tortoise is also protected by Madagascar's laws. It is listed on CITES Appendix I. This means it is illegal to trade them for money unless there are very special permits.
The Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust started "Project Angonoka" in 1986. They work with the Water and Forests Department and the World Wide Fund for Nature. They set up a special place in Madagascar to breed the tortoises. Even though some tortoises were stolen from this facility in 1996, the project has been very successful. By 2004, they had bred 224 young tortoises from only 17 adults.
Project Angonoka also works with local communities. They help people understand why it's important to protect the tortoises and their forests. They even helped create a park to keep the tortoises safe. They also keep an eye on the illegal pet trade to try and stop it.
Sadly, tortoises are still being caught illegally. In 2013, smugglers were caught with 54 angonoka tortoises at an airport in Thailand. This was a huge number, possibly a tenth of all the angonoka tortoises left in the wild! In 2016, more tortoises were found at an airport in India, and some went missing from a breeding facility in Thailand. These events show how much danger the angonoka tortoise is still in.
See Also
- List of reptiles of Madagascar
Images for kids
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The angonoka tortoise is also known as the ploughshare tortoise.
