#ploughshare tortoise

[markscherz]

what's the rarest Creature you've encountered? doesn't have to be a frog but any kind of amphibian or perhaps even a non-amphibian

I saw two Astrochelys yniphora specimens in the wild in 2006, while I was in Madagascar on my first trip with my father and a group of other herp enthusiasts. At the time, there were an estimated 800 specimens in the wild. By 2008, the population had dropped to ca 400 individuals, and as of 2018 the species has been considered functionally extinct in the wild, according to Pedrono & Clausen (2018) and the Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust.

I think this is very probably the rarest creature I have seen in the wild. I guess I have seen some animals in zoos that are also extinct in the wild, or close to it, but I think that doesn't really count. I have also collected the only known specimens of quite a number of frog and reptile species, but those species are probably mostly fine in terms of population numbers, just no-one has checked. And I have seen and handled quite a large number of specimens of extinct species at museums, but that's a very different thing, of course.

#extinction #Astrochelys #Astrochelys yniphora #tortoise #ploughshare tortoise #extinct in the wild #conservation #biology #animals #answers by Mark #anon #anonymous #this is one of the few photos you will ever see of me when I still had long hair #so #enjoy it while you can folks #about me #this is a REALLY depressing post to end the year on #sorry about that

[princeleonstuff2]

#Ploughshare tortoise #fluttershy #blijdorp #tortoise

[scatterbrainedbot]

I AM SPINNING I AM PACING I AM FULL ON FROLICKING IM SO EXCITED

@d1sc0rd1a THANK U FOR THESE TAGS

okayokayokayokay so pretty much all of these questions will be Officially Answered properly in the character design/intro pages im working on but also i am physically vibrating with excitement about the fact that you noticed all these details and i have very little self control so! lore dump time!!!

(minor tw for mentions of leos self-harm/self-destructive anxious behaviors and unhealthy coping skills)

- mikey does indeed have curly fur! i believe he would be considered a 'rex' rat (pictured on the left) for this trait? though the curls can be more easily seen on mice (pictured on the right). or, at least it seems that way. have not delved too deeply into the details of rodent genes and husbandry, but id assume its the same sort of mutation considering curly haired mice are also referred to as rex sometimes? either way hes a extra floofy bby 🧡

-as for raphie, unfortunately being more fluff and less shell than the average rapheal comes with its downsides. especially if you and your brothers occasionally encounter things like territorial dogs, hungry cats, or sewer crocodiles while exploring places ur dad said not supposed to go. (most of his scars will have more ninja related stories, but his ear i think got messed up from something very animal. probably around age 11 ish? old enough to sneak out from dads protection but young enough to not fully know how to handle himself alone against real danger. thankfully his ear injury looks worse than it actually is for the most part, as the damage was largely to the outer ear. his hearing wasnt super affected, except that he now has a bit of a harder time being able to track/pinpoint noises origins if its on his right side.)

-also yep! dons got some glasses that just clip/rest on the bridge of his nose! theyre mostly just for home use, as they do fall off if hes knocked around. in the field he has some goggles he tends to use (theyre helpful as they have multiple additional functions like heat-imaging, extra zoom/telescoping, and recording capabilities. but also theyll give him headaches if he wears them for too long without breaks). contacts are theoretically also an option but he absolutely hates the sensation of putting them in. so sometimes when hes tired he'll just not bother with either clips or goggles and just squint and struggle. leo hates when he does that lol.

-speaking of leo, he is def an anxious baby :) he has a few patches of fur missing on his hand cos he has the tendency to tug on it while hes thinking. he yanked and chewed on his own tail a lot when he was younger too, which is why when hes older he usually wears some wraps to cover the scars left from that behavior. he finds those scars specifically to be kinda embarrassing and shameful because they werent from any battle or life-lesson, just his own 'inability to control himself'. all of his brothers have repeatedly called him out on the fact that that is not a healthy way to think about his anxiety or mental health, but leo insists hes fine. hes kinda convinced himself that a proper warrior always has control over his own body* and his own thoughts, thus he should be able to just like willpower-brute-force his way into 'being better'. (this line of thinking pisses raph off so much he has to leave and go hit something)

Splinter also tries to talk him through some of that internalized guilt/shame/everything, but splinters very metaphorical, poetic, and indirect when it comes to talking about Big Things, which combined with how much leo gets caught in his own head, makes it kinda hard to gauge how much these talks actually help

*this is made extra fun considering leos also ftm trans, so he is faced with a body that fundamentally disobeys him perhaps more than the average rat-man.

-and im still going back and forth between a few species for splinter, but im leaning mostly towards an African Spurred Tortoise! they have these beautiful if kinda subtle geometric shell patterns and are the third largest species of tortoise in the world. the only thing that doesnt fit perfectly with Splints is that (allegedly) their lifespan in captivity is around 50ish years, whereas im p sure Tortoise Splinter is well over 75, probably closer to 90 when the boys are born and hes mutated into Old Man Papa.

but maybe hes just a particularly long lasting African Spurred Tortoise.

the Hamato family has taken very good care of him for many decades after all. :)

(well. until everything all fell apart, that is.....)

#tmnt #rat sons #my art #tmnt au #literally bouncing around the room thinking about this all #my downstairs neighbors are gonna hate me #ask reply #sort of??? #pats leos fucked up lil head #this bad boy can fit so much projection #get out of ur head idiot ur family loves and wants to help u #also looking at the chaco tortoise and ploughshare tortoise for splinter thoboth of those are smaller species than i think he is

[herpsandbirds]

Angonoka or Ploughshare Tortoise (Astrochelys yniphora), family Testudinidae, endemic to Madagascar

CRITICALLY ENDANGERED. (Possibly the most endangered species of tortoise in the world.)

photograph by Andry Fandresena

#tortoise #turtle #reptile #testudinidae #astrochelys #madagascar #herpetology #animals #nature

[uncharismatic-fauna]

Hey there!

If you've been following me for a while, you may have seen the (very occasional) art I do; namely abstract birds. If you're new here, here's some examples:

(In order: A violet eared waxwing, an american goldfinch, and Vogelkop's Superb bird of Paradise, and a section of a ploughshare tortoise shell)

If you send me proof that you've made a donation to an organization benefiting Palestinians, I'll make an abstract of any bird--or other animal-- of your choosing. You can do whatever you want with it: post it, put it on a t-shirt, print it out and eat it!

The donation can be in any amount, and to any organization (though my recommendation is UNWRA), and you don't need to include your personal info when you send me the proof. Likewise, you can request any living (or recently extinct) animal- so long as I can find a photo of it, it's a-okay.

If you have any questions, or you'd like to make a request, my askbox and dms are open!

#jack speaks #just posting this again so i can pin it #jacks art #not an animal #not fauna #free palestine #free gaza

[petnews2day]

Jersey to welcome tortoise takeover trail in 2023

New Post has been published on https://petn.ws/UG1A

Jersey to welcome tortoise takeover trail in 2023

She said: “From the highly endangered ploughshare tortoise in Madagascar to the amazing Aldabra giant tortoises that we deploy on Round Island off the north coast of Mauritius to act as ‘ecological engineers’, Durrell has a long history of working with tortoises.

See full article at https://petn.ws/UG1A #ReptileNews

#Reptile News

[thewhimsyturtle]

International Turtle and Tortoise Week 2018, Day 2 (Days 1, 3, 4, 5, and 6)

For ITTW this year, we are shining a spotlight on turtle and tortoise conservation.  We shells are awesome, but we’re also in trouble all across the globe.  Just last month, the Turtle Conservation Coalition​ published a report on the top 25 most endangered species of turtles and tortoises in the world, some of which have just a few members left alive.

You can get your own copy of this important report and help support efforts to save our beautiful shells right here.

@turtleconservancy

#International Turtle and Tortoise Week #ITTW #endangered species #conservation #Kirby #ploughshare tortoise #help us shells #tortoise #Russian tortoise #turtleconservancy #report #cute #animals #ITTW 2018

[rjzimmerman]

MADAGASCAR'S PLOUGHSHARE TORTOISES | PHOTO BY TIM FLACH

The story:

To save Madagascar's ploughshare tortoises, conservationists mark them up

Madagascar's ploughshare tortoise, known locally as the angonoka, is listed as critically endangered, with as few as 600 remaining in the wild. One major threat to the species is illegal wildlife trafficking. In 2016, conservation groups launched a new strategy to discourage smuggling: defacing the tortoise shells to make the animals less attractive to buyers. The engraving is painless, as the shells are made of a thick keratin.

#ploughshare tortoises #Madagascar

[theimprobabletrvth]

@burnthewiccan​

Something was off about the library. Tables had been pushed aside, chairs stacked upon one another, and on the floor in white chalk was a large circle, decorate with runes, rose petals, red candles and dick drawn in chalk. In its center sat two ploughshare tortoises munching away at a cabbage. “Whatever is going on in your head,” Ozias’ voice cuts through the silence as he steps out from behind a bookshelf with a large tome in his hands and a popsicle stick protruding from his lips. “It’s not what it looks like.”

#burnthewiccan #loki

[gayregis]

I don't think the Jersey Zoo would take the Marines. Their thing is saving endangered species like the Ploughshare Tortoise or the Aye Aye, and the Marines don't seem to be endangered. It's a funny idea though. Col. Nik Cavill would have to live there, and all his relatives would have to go to the zoo to visit him. I do think this zoo has a good mission, regardless of the people who support it.

yes lol!! sorry, my joke was without much tact! support zoos that work for endangered species!

#henry cavill #anon #ask

[theworldismyoysterandiamthepearl]

“The ploughshare tortoise is one of the rarest tortoises on the planet. 🐢⁠ ⁠ Their beautiful golden-domed shells have made them a target for the illegal pet trade, which has resulted in their catastrophic decline in the wild over the past ten years.⁠ ⁠ The future of the ploughshare tortoise is uncertain. Our team of conservationists are working on the ground in Madagascar to help ensure the survival of the species through a captive breeding programme and the funding of anti-poaching patrols in Baly Bay National Park and along international trade routes.”⁠

quote and pic from https://www.instagram.com/durrell_jerseyzoo/

#PloughshareTortoise #tortoise #reptile #animal #beautiful #shell #posing #portrait

[typhlonectes]

This adorable baby Ploughshare Tortoise (Astrochelys yniphora) has no idea how important his life is.

Their populations have been decimated by rampant poaching for the pet trade. When you’re working with one of the planet’s most critically endangered species, every single one counts! Learn more about how we’re helping the Ploughshare Tortoise in Madagascar by visiting our website, and become a member to do your part in helping us!

via: Turtle Conservancy

#turtle #conservation #tortoise #madagascar #reptile #herpetology #animals #nature #science

[npr]

Earth is facing an extinction crisis – and humans shoulder the blame.

Wildlife poaching and illegal trade. Climate change. Urbanization. Mining. These are some of the myriad things we do that endanger animals and, in the process, damage our own well-being.

Three-quarters of the earth's estimated 8.7 million species are at risk, according to a 2011 PLoS Biology study. Of course it's not always our fault, but even the most conservative estimates, like one published in a 2015 Science study that uses the fossil record, suggest that the current extinction rate based on vertebrate data is up to a hundred times higher than it would be without human intervention.

Photographer Tim Flach is trying to bring imperiled species and the threats they face eye to eye with an audience estranged from nature in his new book Endangered. "The romanticizing, free, wild images [of animals] weren't necessarily getting people to take action," Flach says. "I wanted to think about what kind of images people engage in and how you tell a story to get people to connect to [the animal]."

PHOTOS: Animals That Could Disappear Because Of Us

Photo: Tim Flach

#photos #NPR Global Health #animals #photo book #books #endangered species #Environment #eagles #turtles #pandas #photography #science #endangered

[herpsandbirds]

Angonoka or Ploughshare Tortoise (Astrochelys yniphora), family Testudinidae, endemic to Madagascar

CRITICALLY ENDANGERED. (Possibly the most endangered species of tortoise in the world.)

photograph by Maurice Rodriguez

#tortoise #turtle #reptile #testudinidae #astrochelys #madagascar #animals #nature

[smorrisnaps]

young and old ploughshare tortoises from the Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust project in Ankarafantsika National Park, Madagascar

#tortoise #conservation #wildlife #Madagascar

[petnews2day]

Jersey to welcome tortoise takeover trail in 2023

New Post has been published on https://petn.ws/euFd

Jersey to welcome tortoise takeover trail in 2023

She said: “From the highly endangered ploughshare tortoise in Madagascar to the amazing Aldabra giant tortoises that we deploy on Round Island off the north coast of Mauritius to act as ‘ecological engineers’, Durrell has a long history of working with tortoises.

See full article at https://petn.ws/euFd #ReptileNews

#Reptile News