Texas gopher [1] ( lat. Gopherus berlandieri ) - a species of land turtles.
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| Gopherus berlandieri Agassiz , 1857 |
Security status IUCN 2.3 Least Concern : 9401 |
Content
Description
Appearance
The size of the shell of adult individuals ranges from 15-18, occasionally up to 22.2 cm. The guards of the shell are dark, often almost black, but with noticeable yellowish spots that can disappear in old animals.
Newborns are usually 40 mm long and weigh approximately 21 grams.
Distribution and habitat
It is found in the USA and Mexico . In the United States, it is distributed from south Texas to the south to northeast Mexico, where the range passes through eastern Coahuila and Nuevo Leon to southern Tamaulipas and, possibly, the far north of Veracruz . Everywhere this turtle is becoming rare. [2] Perhaps the largest Texas gopher in the Lomas (low hills) west of Brownville in Texas. In southern Texas, according to 1960 data , the maximum population density of these turtles was 1 individual per 82 m², the minimum - 1 individual per 430 m².
They prefer to live on desert soils, especially overgrown with shrubs.
Behavior
Unlike other species of the genus, this gopher itself usually does not dig a hole (the exception is some populations in the very north of the range). Usually it takes and adapts for its needs the burrows of other animals or cavities in the soil.
Fall into hibernation . They hibernate in their burrows from November or December to March, at a temperature of 13-15 ° C.
Nutrition
Texas gopher is herbivorous; grass is the main food in the wet season and cacti in the dry season.
Reproduction
Lays eggs in the warmer months - from June to August, possibly from April to November. In the clutch there are 1-3 eggs, usually only 1. In captivity in the clutch there are up to 3-4 eggs. The incubation temperature is 28 ° C, a high level of humidity is required. Eggs are oblong, 35 by 50 mm, with a hard calcareous shell, lay in a hole up to 15 cm deep.
It breeds poorly in captivity.
Texas Gopher and Man
In some parts of the range, the number of Texas gophers has decreased significantly or they have disappeared altogether. The main reason is excessive capture for trade, to a lesser extent the use of turtles for food. The low fecundity of animals does not allow populations to withstand this load. Many turtles perish on highways . Habitat protection needed.
Protected by law in Texas, the collection, sale, import and export of turtles is prohibited.
Notes
- ↑ Darevsky I.S. , Orlov N.L. Rare and endangered animals. Amphibians and reptiles: Ref. allowance / ed. V. E. Sokolova . - M .: Higher school, 1988. - S. 153. - 463 p., [16] p. silt - 100,000 copies. - ISBN 5-06-001429-0 .
- ↑ Data for 1988 .
Literature
- Darevsky I.S. , Orlov N.L. Rare and endangered animals. Amphibians and reptiles: Ref. allowance / ed. V. E. Sokolova . - M .: Higher school, 1988. - S. 153. - 463 p., [16] p. silt - 100,000 copies. - ISBN 5-06-001429-0 .