#ploughshare tortoise

[daily-turtles]

Today’s turtle is the Ploughshare Tortoise!

[markscherz]

what's the rarest Creature you've encountered? doesn't have to be a frog but any kind of amphibian or perhaps even a non-amphibian

I saw two Astrochelys yniphora specimens in the wild in 2006, while I was in Madagascar on my first trip with my father and a group of other herp enthusiasts. At the time, there were an estimated 800 specimens in the wild. By 2008, the population had dropped to ca 400 individuals, and as of 2018 the species has been considered functionally extinct in the wild, according to Pedrono & Clausen (2018) and the Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust.

I think this is very probably the rarest creature I have seen in the wild. I guess I have seen some animals in zoos that are also extinct in the wild, or close to it, but I think that doesn't really count. I have also collected the only known specimens of quite a number of frog and reptile species, but those species are probably mostly fine in terms of population numbers, just no-one has checked. And I have seen and handled quite a large number of specimens of extinct species at museums, but that's a very different thing, of course.

[thewhimsyturtle]

International Turtle and Tortoise Week 2018, Day 2 (Days 1, 3, 4, 5, and 6)

For ITTW this year, we are shining a spotlight on turtle and tortoise conservation.  We shells are awesome, but we’re also in trouble all across the globe.  Just last month, the Turtle Conservation Coalition​ published a report on the top 25 most endangered species of turtles and tortoises in the world, some of which have just a few members left alive.

You can get your own copy of this important report and help support efforts to save our beautiful shells right here.

@turtleconservancy

[daily-turtles]

Turtle of the week!

Favourite Turtle?

Eastern Saw-Shelled Turtle

Australian Flatback Sea Turtle

Ploughshare Tortoise

Palawan Island Turtle

Southern Spotted Box Turtle

Creaser’s Mud Turtle

Keeled Box Turtle

Voting ended onJun 17

Images under the cut!

Eastern Saw-Shelled Turtle

Australian Flatback Sea Turtle

Ploughshare Tortoise

Palawan Island Turtle

Southern Spotted Box Turtle

Creaser’s Mud Turtle

Keeled Box Turtle

[princeleonstuff2]

[lifeforthewild]

Conservationists to Engrave Every Critically Endangered Ploughshare Tortoise

With only around 500 of the critters left, plodding around the dry forests of northern Madagascar, the ploughshare tortoise is highly desired by poachers and collectors alike. Unfortunately, this has led the team over at the Durrell Wildlife Trust to take drastic action. Against all of their will, they’ve finally decided that the only thing left to do is to deface each and every wild tortoise.

[wildlifedaily]

An Inspiring Story Of Conservation About The Beautiful Ploughshare Tortoise

Ploughshare tortoises have a cute mixing-bowl-shaped shell and gorgeous colouring and patterns. Unfortunately that's made them a target for illegal poachers over the years. Coupled with the destruction of their habitat, and predation by bush pigs, the future of the most threatened tortoise on the planet did not look good.

But this week, something remarkable happened. A decade in the making, a community in Madagascar released 20 captive-bred Ploughshares into the wild. In total, with Durrell, they've released 100 of the tortoises - endemic to Madagascar -  over the last 10 years in order to save the species from extinction. More on this wonderful story at the Durrell foundation's website.

[woodratinks]

Some neglected Animal Electric sketches (sorry dudes!).