The Indian star tortoise (Geochelone elegans) is native to dry scrubland and grassland across India, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka, and is named for the star-shaped pattern of yellow lines radiating from each dark plate of its high-domed shell. It is herbivorous, feeding on grasses, fallen fruit, and flowers. The species has been heavily collected for the international pet trade, which, combined with habitat loss, led the IUCN to assess it as Vulnerable and CITES to move it to Appendix I in 2019, the strictest level of international trade protection.
Facts
Classification
System (Realm) ThreatsBiological Resource Use 1 Relationship to People Living or Extinct Scientific Name Conservation Status Comparison
CITES Appendix Connections
Child Taxon Of
Source Indian Star Tortoise (Wikidata)
In Biome
Source Wikipedia: Indian star tortoise
In Ecosystem
Source Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan Museum of Zoology: Geochelone elegans account
In the Other Atlases
Found In
Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.
Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.
Sources
1. Wikipedia: Indian star tortoise
threat (MediaWiki batch-API article extract states it plainly)
It is threatened by habitat loss and poaching for the illegal wildlife trade.
human-interaction (MediaWiki batch-API article extract states it plainly)
Conservation group TRAFFIC found 6,040 were seized globally that were intended to be sold in the pet trade.
system (MediaWiki batch-API article extract states it plainly)
The Indian star tortoise (Geochelone elegans) is a threatened tortoise species native to India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka where it inhabits dry areas and scrub forest.
Article text
It was upgraded to CITES Appendix I in 2019 by full consensus among all member states, giving it the highest level of international protection from commercial trade.
Anatomy and morphology section
They are mostly herbivorous and feed on grasses, fallen fruit, flowers, and leaves of succulent plants, and will occasionally eat carrion.
Introduction
It has been listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List since 2016, as the population is thought to comprise more than 10,000 individuals, but with a declining trend. It is threatened by habitat loss and poaching for the illegal wildlife trade. It was upgraded to CITES Appendix I in 2019 by full consensus among all member states, giving it the highest level of international protection from commercial trade.
In Biome: Grassland, Distribution and habitat
Star tortoises have been found in rainy deciduous forests, dry grasslands, and even semi-desert lands.
View the Source2. Indian Star Tortoise (Wikidata)
Wikidata- Wikidata Q846461 (P225 taxon name)
Statements section, conservation status (P141)
IUCN Red List conservation status (Wikidata property P141): vulnerable.
- Child Taxon Of: Testudinidae, Wikidata parent-taxon (P171) chain
View the Source Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan Museum of Zoology: Geochelone elegans account
Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan Museum of ZoologyIn Ecosystem: Thar Desert, Geographic RangeQuote, In Ecosystem: Thar Desert, Geographic Range
Geochelone elegans is found in three discrete portions of the Indian subcontinent: the first is in western India and extreme southeastern Pakistan (e.g., Gujarat, Rajasthan, and Uttar Pradesh in India and the Thar Desert in Pakistan), the second is in southeastern India (Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu), the third is on the island of Sri Lanka.
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