Mexican gopher [1] ( lat. Gopherus flavomarginatus ) - a species of land turtles. Endangered.
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| Gopherus flavomarginatus Legler , 1959 |
International Red Book IUCN 3.1 Vulnerable : 9402 |
Content
Description
Appearance
The carapace is tall, domed or slightly flattened. Its dimensions in adults can reach 40 cm. The posterior scutes are serrated along the edges. The color of the carapace is brown with yellow, the plastron is yellowish. The weight of the turtle is more than 14 kg. The front legs are very flattened with short and wide claws - a kind of "shovels" for digging the soil.
Distribution and habitat
Endemic of Mexico . Several isolated populations inhabit the north of the central plateau in the Bolson de Mapini River Basin on the border of southeast Chihuahua , southwest Coahuila and northeast Durango . The largest population covers an area of 15 km. Many populations have already disappeared, others are on the verge of extinction. The maximum population density is seven individuals per hectare , usually much lower.
It lives on grassy hills, overgrown mainly with dry herbs. They rise in the mountains to the level of 1000-1400 m above sea level .
Behavior
To protect themselves from predators and temperature extremes, they dig long burrows for themselves.
Peak activity of turtles occurs in spring and summer. Recession occurs in the fall, hibernate only in cold winters.
Males have a hierarchy system of dominance . The adult male has an area of about 4.1 hectares, half-adult 3.1, and the young - 1.2.
Nutrition
Hilaria mutica grass is the main type of food, although 21 species of plants are included in the diet of these gophers.
Reproduction
The breeding season is warm and relatively dry, usually from April to early July. In captivity they lay eggs in June-July. On average, a female makes up to three clutches of 3–9 eggs each in a year. In the wild, fertility is much more modest.
Age structure of the population and number
Studies in the Mapimi nature reserve show that mature turtles form the basis of the Mexican gopher population. It consists of 66.6% of adult turtles, the rest is young and newborns.
The exact abundance of the species is unknown. It is assumed the existence of 10-20 thousand individuals. [2]
Mexican Gopher and Man
In the last decades of the 20th century, the number of the species decreased due to excessive capture for the purpose of eating and illegal trade, as well as the destruction of human habitats.
Protected by law in Mexico.
Since 1978, a conservation program has been developed in Mexico and the USA. The protection of populations has been organized in the Mapimi reserve, where since 1982 a conservation program for clutches and young turtles has been implemented.
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. 153-154. - 463 p., [16] p. silt - 100,000 copies. - ISBN 5-06-001429-0 .