Archiv/Abstracts 2007

Schildkröten im Fokus, Bergheim 4 (3) 2007: 11-19

Horst Köhler, Friedberg, Germany

Betrachtungen zu Gewichten von Testudo graeca ibera aus der Südwest-Türkei

Discussing masses of Testudo graeca ibera from South Western Turkey

Abstract

During his recent visit to a natural habitat of T. g. ibera in Southern Turkey, in May 2006, the author found a large and heavy tortoise. The reptile was cleaned, photographed and measured. Unfortunately, there was no possibility to determine its mass right at site because its weight exceeded the capacity of the available scales. Consequently, the weight had to be determined upon the author's return to Germany by using the measured dimensions. For this, the dimensions and the weights of previously wild caught T. g. ibera owned by breeders in Germany with body masses well above 2.5 kg, as well as the data of a lighter (2 kg) turtle also found and measured at the same site in Turkey were applied. Several possibilities for plotting the weights of the turtles via their main dimensions were tested. The most reliable result with a narrow scatter was achieved, when the turtles weights were plotted across the product of the longitudinal and the cross circumferences (Table 1 in the article). It was demonstrated that, even the weights of F1-bred turtles of T. g. ibera fit rather well into the system of the two (upper and lower) mass curves. With the available product of the two circumferences of above large Turkish turtle, its weight was determined to be in the range of 3.6 kg ± 200 g. However, if the upper mass curve in Table 1 were plotted right through the mass point of turtle 28 W WF (wild turtle No 28, female), the weight could also be close to 4 kg. However, in order to confirm this, a wild turtle T. g. ibera with a body weight of well above 3.5 kg would be necessary. It is not very likely that such a turtle will be found.

Key words

Testudines: Testudinidae, Testudo graeca ibera, large T. g. ibera in Southern Turkey; sizes and weights, determi