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Taxa

Testudinidae

Reptile Families

Testudinidae is a family of reptiles commonly known as tortoises, within the order Testudines, distinguished like other testudines by a protective shell. Tortoises vary considerably in size, from species measuring about 6.8 centimeters to others exceeding 1.2 meters in length, and are the longest-living land animals, typically living 80 to 150 years and occasionally longer.

Facts
Taxonomic Rank
Family 1
Scientific Name
Testudinidae 1
Geographic Distribution
Southern North America to southern South America, the Mediterranean basin, Eurasia to Southeast Asia, sub-Saharan Africa, Madagascar and some Pacific islands 1
Defining Characteristics
Have a hard shell that protects them from predation and other threats, as in other testudines 1
Identification
Distinguishing Appearance
Size varies widely, from shells of about 6.8 centimetres in the speckled Cape tortoise to more than 1.2 metres in length in the Galápagos giant tortoise 1
Classification
Living or Extinct
Yes 2
Connections

Parent Taxon Of

African Spurred Tortoise, Species
Source Wikidata: African Spurred Tortoise
Aldabra Giant Tortoise, Species
Source Wikidata: Aldabra Giant Tortoise
Egyptian tortoise, Species
Source Egyptian tortoise (Wikidata)
Indian Star Tortoise, Species
Source Indian Star Tortoise (Wikidata)
Leopard Tortoise, Species
Source Wikidata: Leopard Tortoise
Pancake Tortoise, Species
Source Pancake Tortoise (Wikidata)
Radiated Tortoise, Species
Source Radiated Tortoise (Wikidata)
Testudo Hermanni, Species
Source Hermann's tortoise (Wikidata)
In the Other Atlases
Sources
1. Testudinidae, Wikipedia
  • Lead section, first sentence (rank)
    Tortoises (family Testudinidae of the order Testudines)
  • Lead section, first sentence (scientific name)
    Tortoises (family Testudinidae of the order Testudines)
  • Lead section, distribution sentence
    Tortoises are found from southern North America to southern South America, around the Mediterranean basin, across Eurasia to Southeast Asia, in sub-Saharan Africa, Madagascar, and some Pacific islands.
  • Lead section, shell sentence
    Like other testudines, tortoises have a shell to protect from predation and other threats.
  • Lead section, size sentence
    Tortoises can vary in size with some species, such as the Galápagos giant tortoise, growing to more than 1.2 metres (3.9 ft) in length, whereas others like the speckled Cape tortoise have shells that measure only 6.8 centimetres (2.7 in) long.
View the Source
2. Wikidata (taxon extant/extinct status)
Wikimedia Foundation / Wikidata contributorsQ46360, descriptionView the Source
Wikidata: Testudinidae
Wikidata Q46360, class allow-list match (w-wdresolver-0926)View the Source
Wikidata: Aldabra Giant Tortoise
WikidataParent Taxon Of: Aldabra Giant Tortoise, Wikidata parent-taxon (P171) chainView the Source
Wikidata: African Spurred Tortoise
WikidataParent Taxon Of: African Spurred Tortoise, Wikidata parent-taxon (P171) chainView the Source
Indian Star Tortoise (Wikidata)
WikidataParent Taxon Of: Indian Star Tortoise, Wikidata parent-taxon (P171) chainView the Source
Wikidata: Leopard Tortoise
Parent Taxon Of: Leopard Tortoise, Wikidata parent-taxon (P171) chainView the Source
Radiated Tortoise (Wikidata)
WikidataParent Taxon Of: Radiated Tortoise, Wikidata parent-taxon (P171) chainView the Source
Pancake Tortoise (Wikidata)
WikidataParent Taxon Of: Pancake Tortoise, Wikidata parent-taxon (P171) chainView the Source
Hermann's tortoise (Wikidata)
WikidataParent Taxon Of: Testudo Hermanni, Wikidata parent-taxon (P171) chainView the Source
Egyptian tortoise (Wikidata)
WikidataParent Taxon Of: Egyptian tortoise, Wikidata parent-taxon (P171) chainView the Source
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