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''Homopus areolatus'', commonly known as the common padloper or parrot-beaked tortoise, is a tiny species of
Common Padloper (''Homopus areolatus'')
, World Chelonian Trust (retrieved August 20, 2013)Homopus Research Foundation website
/ref> It is also commonly known as the parrot-beaked tortoise, due to the relatively large beak that the males of the species possess.
ZipcodeZoo.com. Other names include the older name of beaked Cape tortoise, as well as areolated tortoise. The latter name refers to its species name ''"areolatus"'', and describes the raised rings around the
The common padloper is a small, rather flat tortoise. Its shell usually has varied colouration, ranging between olive-green and brown. The shields of the carapace are flat, with large raised areolae, and a thin black edging.
Like its larger relative, the
tortoise
Tortoises () are reptiles of the family Testudinidae of the order Testudines (Latin: ''tortoise''). Like other turtles, tortoises have a turtle shell, shell to protect from predation and other threats. The shell in tortoises is generally hard, ...
of the genus ''Homopus
''Homopus'' is a genus of tiny tortoises in the family Testudinidae, endemic to southern Africa. Three species have been moved to the genus Chersobius.
Naming
As a group, these closely related species are commonly known in Europe and Africa as ...
'', indigenous to the southern part of South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...
.
Naming
''Homopus areolatus'' is known by a wide range of common names. In its native region in southern Africa (and in much of the scientific community) it is usually known as the common padloper due to its being by far the most commonly occurring of all the ''Homopus'' ("padloper") species.Loehr, V.,Common Padloper (''Homopus areolatus'')
, World Chelonian Trust (retrieved August 20, 2013)Homopus Research Foundation website
/ref> It is also commonly known as the parrot-beaked tortoise, due to the relatively large beak that the males of the species possess.
CITES
CITES (shorter name for the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, also known as the Washington Convention) is a multilateral treaty to protect endangered plants and animals from the threats of interna ...
species gallery.Homopus areolatus (Beaked Cape Tortoise)ZipcodeZoo.com. Other names include the older name of beaked Cape tortoise, as well as areolated tortoise. The latter name refers to its species name ''"areolatus"'', and describes the raised rings around the
scutes
A scute or scutum (Latin: ''scutum''; plural: ''scuta'' "shield") is a bony external plate or scale overlaid with horn, as on the shell of a turtle, the skin of crocodilians, and the feet of birds. The term is also used to describe the anterior po ...
of its shell.
Description
The common padloper is a small, rather flat tortoise. Its shell usually has varied colouration, ranging between olive-green and brown. The shields of the carapace are flat, with large raised areolae, and a thin black edging.
Like its larger relative, the greater padloper
''Homopus femoralis'', commonly known as the greater padloper, is a small tortoise of the genus ''Homopus'', indigenous to the highveld grasslands of South Africa.
The males are smaller than the females, and can be distinguished by their slightly longer tails and their distinctive heads. Males have larger heads, with a larger beak and a more pointy snout. The noses of dominant males also become bright orange or red in the breeding season.
In colour, males are frequently uniformly orange to light brown (compared to the deeper olive brown of the females). Males also have more lightly coloured bellies, though they do not exhibit the plastral concavity that many other tortoise species do.
The species is threatened by habitat destruction, traffic on roads, and increased frequency of wildfires. Another threat comes from introduced species, such as domestic dogs and pigs.Membres.multimania.fr
(Retrieved March 17, 2010).
Trade in collected ''Homopus'' species is strictly illegal in South Africa and Namibia. Any captive specimens are systematically registered in noncommercial studbooks, and any commercial sale of ''Homopus'' tortoises is almost without exception strictly illegal.
World Chelonian Trust (retrieved August 20, 2013).
Distribution and habitat
It isendemic
Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsew ...
to the Republic of South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...
and is found specifically in the Western Cape
The Western Cape is a province of South Africa, situated on the south-western coast of the country. It is the fourth largest of the nine provinces with an area of , and the third most populous, with an estimated 7 million inhabitants in 2020 ...
and Eastern Cape
The Eastern Cape is one of the provinces of South Africa. Its capital is Bhisho, but its two largest cities are East London and Gqeberha.
The second largest province in the country (at 168,966 km2) after Northern Cape, it was formed in ...
Provinces. Here it favours coastal lowlands, especially along the south coast, in fynbos, strandveld, albany thicket and valley bushveld. The mild climate allows it to stay active throughout the year. It is generally intolerant of the arid conditions further inland.
At certain points, favourable conditions allow populations to survive further inland. In the Western Cape, there are inland populations at Sutherland and Nieuwoudtville. In the Eastern Cape, their range extends inland at one point, as far as Cradock.
Unlike the other padloper species, ''Homopus areolatus'' is relatively plentiful within its range, and hence the name "common padloper".
Due to its tiny size, this tortoise is heavily preyed on by crows, ostriches, jackals, baboons, dogs, and a wide range of other predators. Consequently, it spends most of its time hiding under rocks, foliage, and other cover. It lays a clutch of 2–4 eggs, which hatch 150–320 days later – usually on a misty, overcast day.
Threats and conservation
The species is threatened by habitat destruction, traffic on roads, and increased frequency of wildfires. Another threat comes from introduced species, such as domestic dogs and pigs.(Retrieved March 17, 2010).
Captivity
The species can adapt well to captivity – as its diet, while varied, is not highly specialized. It is, however, relatively rare as a pet.Corton, M.World Chelonian Trust (retrieved August 20, 2013).
References
Further reading
* Baard, E.H.W. 1996. Inter- and Intra-Individual Variation in the measurement of southern Padloper Homopus areolatus Afr. Herp News (25): 22-25 * Bour, R. 1980. Essai sur la taxinomie des Testudinidae actuels (Reptilia, Chelonii). Bull. Mus. natl. Hist. nat. Paris (4) 2 (2): 541-546 * Duméril, A. M.C., G. Bibron & A. Duméril 1854. Erpétologie générale ou Histoire Naturelle complète des Reptiles. Vol. 9. Paris, XX + 440 S. * Ernst, C.H. and Barbour, R.W. 1989. Turtles of the World. Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington D.C. - London * Fleck, J. & Fleck, S. 2001. Erfolgreiche Nachzucht von Chersina angulata und Homopus areolatus über mehrere Jahre. Elaphe 9 (3): 5-14 * Fritz, Uwe and Olaf R.P. Bininda-Emonds 2007. When genes meet nomenclature: Tortoise phylogeny and the shifting generic concepts of Testudo and Geochelone. Zoology 110 (4): 298-307 rratum in vol. 111 (1): 84* Gorseman, P. 1980. Opmerkingen over biotoop en voortplanting van Homopus areolatus. Lacerta 38 (10-11): 107-111 * Greig, J.C., and P.D. Burdett. 1976. Patterns in the distributions of Southern African terrestrial tortoises (Cryptodira: Testudinidae). Zool. Africana 11(2): 250–267. * Hoogmoed, M.S. 1980. Herpetologische waarnemingen in Ghanaart 8
Art is a diverse range of human activity, and resulting product, that involves creative or imaginative talent expressive of technical proficiency, beauty, emotional power, or conceptual ideas.
There is no generally agreed definition of wha ...
Lacerta 38 (10-11): 112-116
* Lacepède, B. G. E. 1788. Histoire Naturelle des Quadrupe des Ovipares et des Serpens. Vol.1. Imprimerie du Roi, Hôtel de Thou, Paris, xvii + 651 pp.
* Loveridge, Arthur & Williams, Ernest E. 1957. Revision of the African Tortoises and Turtles of the Suborder Cryptodira. Bulletin of the Museum of Comparative Zoology 115 (6): 163-557
* Schleicher, A. 2005. Die Areolen-Flachschildkröte, Homopus areolatus (THUNBERG 1787). Beobachtungen und Erfahrungen: Lebensweise, Haltung, Nach- und Aufzucht. Reptilia (Münster) 10 (6): 36-40
* Schleicher, A. 2005. Homopus areolatus - The Parrot-Beaked Tortoise. Reptilia (GB) (43): 26-30
* Thunberg, C. P. 1787. Beskrifning pé Trenne Skölpaddor escription of two new turtlesKongl. Vetenskaps Academiens Nya Handlingar, För M_naderne 1787 (Julius, Augustus, September): 178-180
* Hughes, B. 1986. Longevity Records of African Captive Amphibians and Reptiles: Part 1: Introduction and Species List 1 - Amphibians and Chelonians Jour. Herp. Ass. Afr. (32): 1-5
{{Taxonbar , from=Q642538
Homopus
Reptiles of South Africa
Reptiles described in 1787