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Titanochelon Eurysternum
''Titanochelon'' is an extinct genus of giant tortoises known from the Early Miocene to the beginning of the Pleistocene in Europe, extending from the Iberian Peninsula to Anatolia. Some members of the genus were larger than extant giant tortoises, with a shell length of up to . Taxonomy There are approximately 10 known species in the genus, most of which were originally assigned to '' Testudo'' (a genus which formally encompassed almost all fossil tortoises) or '' Cheirogaster,'' the type species of which, ''Cheirogaster maurini'' is known from the Eocene of France and is quite different to the species assigned to ''Titanochelon''. After a major systematic revision in 2014, the genus ''Titanochelon'' was created to house these related species.Hans Volker Karl, Ulrich Staesche, Amtyaz Safi New findings of neogene tortoises ''Titanochelon kayadibiensis'' sp. nov. and ''Protestudo bessarabica'' (Riabinin, 1918) (Testudinidae) from the Miocene of western Turkey, with a review of fo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tortoises
Tortoises () are reptiles of the family Testudinidae of the order Testudines (Latin: ''tortoise''). Like other turtles, tortoises have a shell to protect from predation and other threats. The shell in tortoises is generally hard, and like other members of the suborder Cryptodira, they retract their necks and heads directly backward into the shell to protect them. Tortoises can vary in size with some species, such as the Galápagos giant tortoise, growing to more than in length, whereas others like the Speckled cape tortoise have shells that measure only long. Several lineages of tortoises have independently evolved very large body sizes in excess of 100 kg, including the Galapagos giant tortoise and the Aldabra giant tortoise. They are usually diurnal animals with tendencies to be crepuscular depending on the ambient temperatures. They are generally reclusive animals. Tortoises are the longest-living land animals in the world, although the longest-living species of t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Titanochelon Vitodurana
''Titanochelon'' is an extinct genus of giant tortoises known from the Early Miocene to the beginning of the Pleistocene in Europe, extending from the Iberian Peninsula to Anatolia. Some members of the genus were larger than extant giant tortoises, with a shell length of up to . Taxonomy There are approximately 10 known species in the genus, most of which were originally assigned to '' Testudo'' (a genus which formally encompassed almost all fossil tortoises) or '' Cheirogaster,'' the type species of which, ''Cheirogaster maurini'' is known from the Eocene of France and is quite different to the species assigned to ''Titanochelon''. After a major systematic revision in 2014, the genus ''Titanochelon'' was created to house these related species.Hans Volker Karl, Ulrich Staesche, Amtyaz Safi New findings of neogene tortoises ''Titanochelon kayadibiensis'' sp. nov. and ''Protestudo bessarabica'' (Riabinin, 1918) (Testudinidae) from the Miocene of western Turkey, with a review of fo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Leopard Tortoise
The leopard tortoise (''Stigmochelys pardalis'') is a large and attractively marked tortoise found in the savannas of eastern and southern Africa, from Sudan to the southern Cape. It is the only extant member of the genus ''Stigmochelys'', although in the past, it was commonly placed in ''Geochelone''. This tortoise is a grazing species that favors semiarid, thorny to grassland habitats. In both very hot and very cold weather, it may dwell in abandoned fox, jackal, or aardvark holes. The leopard tortoise does not dig other than to make nests in which to lay eggs. Given its propensity for grassland habitats, it grazes extensively upon mixed grasses. It also favors succulents and thistles. Taxonomy and etymology The phylogenic placement of the leopard tortoise has been subject to several revisions. Different authors have placed it in ''Geochelone'' (1957), ''Stigmochelys'' (2001), ''Centrochelys'' (2002), and ''Psammobates'' (2006). More recently, consensus appears to have settled on ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Stigmochelys
''Stigmochelys'' is a genus of tortoise endemic to Africa. ''Stigmochelys pardalis'', the leopard tortoise, is the only extant species. A fossil species, '' Stigmochelys brachygularis'' is known from the Pliocene The Pliocene ( ; also Pleiocene) is the epoch in the geologic time scale that extends from 5.333 million to 2.58Geochelone'' along with many other large tortoises. References {{Taxonbar, from=Q14566130 Testudinidae Turtle genera[...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Phylogenetics
In biology, phylogenetics (; from Greek φυλή/ φῦλον [] "tribe, clan, race", and wikt:γενετικός, γενετικός [] "origin, source, birth") is the study of the evolutionary history and relationships among or within groups of organisms. These relationships are determined by Computational phylogenetics, phylogenetic inference methods that focus on observed heritable traits, such as DNA sequences, protein amino acid sequences, or morphology. The result of such an analysis is a phylogenetic tree—a diagram containing a hypothesis of relationships that reflects the evolutionary history of a group of organisms. The tips of a phylogenetic tree can be living taxa or fossils, and represent the "end" or the present time in an evolutionary lineage. A phylogenetic diagram can be rooted or unrooted. A rooted tree diagram indicates the hypothetical common ancestor of the tree. An unrooted tree diagram (a network) makes no assumption about the ancestral line, and doe ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Solitudo
''Solitudo'' is an extinct genus of tortoise that was found during the Pliocene and Pleistocene on the Mediterranean islands of Menorca, Malta and Sicily. The genus includes three described species, ''Solitudo robusta'', ''Solitudo gymnesica'' and ''Solitudo sicula'' as well as a likely fourth, undescribed species from Monte Pellegrino in Sicily. ''Solitudo sicula'', the youngest of the species, died out approximately 12.5 thousand years BP. The largest species, ''Solitudo gymnesica'', has been estimated to have reached a carapace length of . History The oldest discoveries of fossil turtles now included under ''Solitudo'' were made in the 19th century, with Leith-Adams describing remains from Zebbug Cave (Malta) as ''Testudo robusta''. In 1914 ''Testudo gymnesica'' was described based on Pliocene material found on Menorca. Younger material was later discovered in the Zubbio di Cozzo San Pietro cave in northern Sicily. These remains, which include a femur, phalanx, pubis and a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Balearic Islands
The Balearic Islands ( ca, Illes Balears ; es, Islas Baleares or ) are an archipelago in the western Mediterranean Sea, near the eastern coast of the Iberian Peninsula. The archipelago forms a Provinces of Spain, province and Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Spain, with Palma de Mallorca being its capital and largest city. Formerly part of the Kingdom of Majorca, Kingdom of Mallorca, the islands were made a province in the 19th century provincial division, which in 1983 received a Statute of Autonomy of the Balearic Islands, Statute of Autonomy. In its later reform of 2007, the Statute designates the Balearic Islands as one of the ''nationalities and regions of Spain, nationalities'' of Spain. The official Languages of Spain, languages of the Balearic Islands are Catalan language, Catalan and Spanish language, Spanish. The archipelago islands are further grouped in western Pityusic Islands, Pytiuses (the largest being Ibiza and Formentera), and east ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Titanochelon Leberonensis
''Titanochelon'' is an extinct genus of giant tortoises known from the Early Miocene to the beginning of the Pleistocene in Europe, extending from the Iberian Peninsula to Anatolia. Some members of the genus were larger than extant giant tortoises, with a shell length of up to . Taxonomy There are approximately 10 known species in the genus, most of which were originally assigned to '' Testudo'' (a genus which formally encompassed almost all fossil tortoises) or '' Cheirogaster,'' the type species of which, ''Cheirogaster maurini'' is known from the Eocene of France and is quite different to the species assigned to ''Titanochelon''. After a major systematic revision in 2014, the genus ''Titanochelon'' was created to house these related species.Hans Volker Karl, Ulrich Staesche, Amtyaz Safi New findings of neogene tortoises ''Titanochelon kayadibiensis'' sp. nov. and ''Protestudo bessarabica'' (Riabinin, 1918) (Testudinidae) from the Miocene of western Turkey, with a review of fo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
