Category: Turtles & Tortoises
66-Million-Year-Old Smooth-Shelled Turtle Fossil Discovered In Canada
Leiochelys tokaryki, is a nearly complete skeleton that existed during the Late Cretaceous (Maastrichtian) period. [...]
Saving Sea Turtles At Florida’s Loggerhead Marinelife Center
Sea turtles are seen as strong, brave, guardians of the Earth, but their tough shells and patient ways are fragile in the reality of the world. [...]
Fernandina Giant Tortoise Confirmed to Be New Species
Fern has now been confirmed, nearly four years later, as the only known living species of Chelonoidis phantastica [...]
Zoo Atlanta Hatches Critically Endangered Bog Turtle
The bog turtle is listed as a critically endangered species by the IUCN. [...]
Albino Galapagos Tortoise Hatches At Switzerland’s Tropiquarium of Servion
The albino hatchling was joined by a normal sibling, which is black in coloration [...]
Captive Wildlife Permit Rules Changed In Florida
"Leaving Floridians’ livelihoods, businesses, hobbies and pets open to wide interpretation. . . is scary to all permit holders, especially those of us [...]
Lizard King Michael Van Nostrand Sentenced To 8 Months In Prison, Fined $100,000
Van Nostrand, 55, was also ordered to immediately pay a fine of $100,000. That money will be paid directly to the Lacey Act Reward Fund. [...]
Giant Malaysian Turtle Surrendered To Wisconsin Animal Rescue
“Our ultimate goal is to get him placed in a breeding program with an accredited facility so we can keep his species from going extinct." [...]
Six Western Swamp Tortoises Hatched At Australia’s Adelaide Zoo
Threats to the Western swamp tortoise include land clearing for agriculture, pesticide and fertilizer use, housing development and fire. [...]
Seychelles Island Starts Aldabra Tortoise Census
Conservationists on Fregate want to know the population numbers so they launched a four months long census April 6 . [...]
Two Galapagos Tortoises Hatch At The UK’s Crocodiles Of The World
Galapagos tortoises are the largest tortoise species in the world and can live more than 120 years. [...]
U. of Georgia Research Team Wins Tortoise Conservation Award
The team made huge contributions to the head-starting of the desert tortoise. [...]
No Fernandina Giant Tortoises Found After Extensive Search
While the initial hope to find another Fernandina giant tortoise, a second expedition is slated for later in 2022 that will use a helicopter. [...]
Kentucky Man Sentenced To 15 Months For Violating Lacey Act
Christopher Cool had 246 Eastern box turtles in his possession with the intent to sell and ship the turtles outside Kentucky. [...]
California Bill Aims To Reduce Wildlife-Vehicle Collisions
The Safe Roads and Wildlife Protection Act would require The California Department of Transportation to identify barriers that inhibit wildlife moveme [...]
Contact Your Senators To Voice Opposition to Lacey Act Amendments In America COMPETES Act HR4521
The effective date would be one year after the enactment of this Act. [...]
Red-Footed Tortoise Care And Breeding Information
Keeping red-footed tortoises is a privilege and an enjoyable experience for keepers who are prepared for their requirements. [...]
Chinese National Gets 38 Month In Prison For Financing Turtle Smuggling Ring
Kang Juntao, 25 and a resident of Hangzhou City, China pleaded guilty to financing a smuggling ring that smuggled about 1,500 protected turtles out of [...]
Video: Seychelles Giant Tortoise Hunts And Eats Bird
A female giant tortoise pursues a tern chick. Screengrab via Anna Zora.
Giant tortoises have traditionally been known to be strictly herbivorou [...]
13 Critically Endangered Roti Island Snake-necked Turtles Returned To Indonesia
Thirteen Roti Island snake-necked turtles (Chelodina mccordi) that were being cared for by Wildlife Reserves Singapore have been returned to Indonesia [...]
Giant Tortoise Found In 2019 Confirmed To Be Previously “Extinct” Species
A giant tortoise that was found in 2019 and thought to be an extinct species, is actually the species and is not extinct. Fern, the Fernandina giant t [...]
Finding The Fernandina Giant Tortoise
This story appeared in the May/June 2019 issue of REPTILES magazine.
There I stood, boots digging into the black crust of volcanic rock, looking ou [...]
South Carolina Man Charged With Violating Lacey Act, Trafficking In Vipers And Turtles
The United States Department of Justice has charged a South Carolina man with violating the Lacey Act for allegedly trafficking in spotted turtles (Cl [...]
The Successful Return Of 12 Indian Star Tortoises Back Into The Wild
The Indian star tortoise (Geochelone elegans), one of the most beautiful tortoises in all of Asia, is sadly disappearing from the India landscape. Esc [...]