Species : Indian Star (Geochelone elegans)
Description: Star tortoises are stunning in their beauty with the radiating ”star” pattern on their carapace making them an eye-catching disply in zoos or private collections the world over. Removing one of these animals from its display and placing it in tall grass where this pattern mimics the light and shadow of sunlight through tussocks of grass brings about an instant realization of the effectivness of their camouflage pattern as well as a better understanding of their native habitat.
Distribution: Central and southern India, south to Sri Lanka and west into Pakistan
Adult Size: approx. 6" carapax length for male;approx. 10" carapax length for female
Hatchling Size: 1.5" - 2" carapax length
Natural Habitats: Terrestrial; deciduous forests, dry savannahs, and grasslands
Activitiy Period: Daytime (diurnal);12 - 14 hours each day with direct natural sunlight or UV lamp
Temperature: 30 - 32C -- basking spot (e.g. Basking Spot Lamp)
27 - 28 C -- cooler area (e.g. Daylight Blue Bulb)
25 - 26 C -- at night (e.g. Nightlight Red Bulb, Infrared HeatLamp, Ceramic Heat Emitter)
Humidity: Low
Natural Diet: Herbivorous (plant-eating);grass, succulents, vegetables, fruits and occationally meat
Occasioanl Food: Grass, Dark Leafy Greens (e.g. dandelions, mustards, collards, turnips, kales),
Never Feed On: Very Juicy Fruits, Tomatos, Bananas, Cabbages, Cucumbers, Bok Choy, Iceberg Lettuces, Rhubarbs, Broccoli, etc
Eggs: lays batches of 3 - 9 eggs each per year; Incubation lasts about 140 - 150 days
Mating Ages: from 10 - 15 years
No comments:
Post a Comment