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Although studies on Testudo hermanni boettgeri and T. graeca ibera have been conducted for more than a century in Bulgaria, little or no data have been published on some aspects of their ecology. Moreover, most of the local populations have still not been examined. The purpose of the study was to examine two local populations of the Hermann's and the Spur-thighed Tortoise occurring together. The study was carried out during two different periods from 2012 to 2023. Here we present data on the numbers, age structure, and sex ratio of the two populations. We also provide information on their home range and real and potential threats. The results indicated that T. hermanni boettgeri is much more numerous than T. graeca ibera. The age structure of both species was very similar - the adults predominated over subadults and juveniles. The sex ratio was slightly in favor of males in the Hermann's Tortoise, whereas it was female-biased in the Spur-thighed Tortoise. The mean home range of the Hermann's Tortoise was smaller compared to other populations of the species. Females had a larger home range than males. The mean home range of the Spur-thighed Tortoise was larger than that of the Hermann's Tortoise and similar to the home range of other populations on a species level. The biggest threat identified was related to partial deforestation within the habitat of the tortoises. Overall the two species seemed to successfully coexist even in the presence of threats as their number did not decline during the study but rather was stable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, many nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) species have been recognized as pathogens for humans and animals. Molecular diagnostic techniques enable rapid identification and characterization of the different species of mycobacteria. NTM are inhabitants of the soil and water, and enter the body through a defect in the skin or mucosa, causing infections in immunocompromised subjects. Mycobacteriosis has been described in reptiles, especially in chelonians, but the incidence seems to be low in captivity. To date, mycobacteriosis has been described only in three tortoise species. This report involves a captive Hermann's tortoise (Testudo hermanni) diagnosed with cloacal mycobacteriosis and subsequent systemic dissemination by histopathology and PCR. A Mycobacterium sp. belonging to the M. terrae complex was identified as the etiologic agent, and this is the first report of infection in reptiles by this organism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We analyzed variation in the distribution of eastern Hermann's tortoise (Testudo hermanni boettgeri) in a complex landscape consisting of both natural and human-altered habitats in a temperate climate region in Serbia. Our results indicated nonrandom distribution of tortoises within different habitat types with large and medium effect size for year and activity pattern, respectively. Additionally, the tortoises expressed relatively weak preference for habitats modified by human activity (e.g., vineyards, orchards, or gardens). The results suggested that these tortoises preferred some particular habitats more than others when performing specific activities. They also did not exhibit the same distribution pattern among habitats over consequent years. In other words, they were not randomly distributed among habitat types with regard to specific activity or year. The information on preferences in complex habitat systems is important for the conservation management of eastern Hermann's tortoise and should be considered when planning activities related to sustainable development within the region of study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We studied the thermal ecology of Testudo hermanni hermanni in Menorca during late spring. We measured body temperatures of adult individuals, together with air and substrate temperatures at points of capture. Sunlight exposure (full sun, filtered sun, or shade) and type of substrate were also recorded. Body temperatures were similar between sexes (mean = 29.95°C) as were air temperatures between gender capture sites (mean = 28.33°C). Conversely, females were found in areas with a higher substrate temperature (31.60°C) than males were (29.15°C). Moreover, the correlation between body and air temperatures was stronger than it was between body and substrate temperatures, as found in other populations of this species. The tortoises were usually found in full sun, and the proportion of animals found in each sunlight category was similar between sexes. Our results contribute to the knowledge of the thermal ecology of the western Hermann's tortoise. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Neoplastic disorders are frequently encountered in the practice of reptile medicine. Herein we report the clinical behavior, antemortem diagnosis, and histopathologic characteristics of a recurrent intraoral keratinizing basal cell carcinoma (BCC) and a metastatic BCC of the carapace in 2 Hermann’s tortoises (Testudo hermanni). Although squamous cell carcinomas (SCCs) in tortoises show similar predilection sites and gross pathologic features, the BCCs described in our report were characterized by a remarkably fast and highly infiltrative growth in comparison to SCCs. Accordingly, early diagnosis including reliable discrimination from SCC is essential toward the management of this neoplastic entity in tortoises. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Turtle remains from the Lower Pleistocene palaeontological site of Quibas (Sierra de Quibas, Región de Murcia, Spain) are abundant, but they have not been analyzed taxonomically. Here we determine that all diagnostic specimens belong to Hermann's Tortoise ( Chersine hermanni or Testudo hermanni ) and they represent the oldest Iberian known occurrence of this taxon. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although highly conservative in major lineages, skeletons of tetrapods can vary within groups. In chelonians, a large portion of the skeleton is "external," which makes it comparatively easy to study. I present several peculiarities in the shape and architecture of shells in the Hermann's tortoise, Testudo hermanni, from five localities in the Balkan Peninsula. These are: a hump in the rear part of the shell (in males), variability in the so-called neural formula (in both sexes), and unusually poorly curved pygal (and supracaudal) element in many males. These oddities were particularly frequent in an insular population, but were found in mainland samples as well. To my knowledge, this study presents the first qualitative and a preliminary quantitative analysis of shell aberrations within and among populations of any Testudo species. More importantly, it was performed on extant populations: this enables monitoring of ontogenetic shell shape development, i.e. the emergence of anomalies, as well as their possible influences and consequences concerning survival and behaviour. Future research should aim at inferring genetic structure within and among Hermann's tortoise populations in the sampled region and in other parts of the Balkans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hermann’s tortoise (Testudo hermanni) is considered near threatened in the wild but, by contrast, it is one of the most popular pet tortoises in Europe. Scant data is reported in the veterinary literature on hematological values for T. hermanni and, to our knowledge, none focused on the subspecies boettgeri (eastern Hermann’s tortoise). Published reports are based on small sample populations, and confusion arises when comparing the sampling sites, the anticoagulants, and the counting methods used. The purpose of the current study was to establish the normal mean values and reference intervals for the main hematological parameters for captive adult T. hermanni boettgeri and to evaluate the reliability of a semiautomated blood analyzer for red blood cell count and hematocrit determination. Blood values were determined in 23 adult tortoises using a Neubauer chamber with Natt and Herrick solution; red blood cells and hematocrit were also measured using a semiautomated blood analyzer. Statistical analysis included descriptive statistics, differences between sexes, and agreement between the counting methods. Reference intervals were calculated with the robust method. Wilcoxon signed rank test with continuity correction was used to investigate differences between sexes, and Bland–Altman analysis was performed to compare manual versus semiautomated values. Red blood cells, hematocrit, and hemoglobin determinations were significantly higher in males than in females. White blood cell counts did not show any sex variability. The agreement of manual versus semiautomated determination was considered acceptable for clinical use. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Honest-advertisement models of sexual selection suggest that condition-dependent male secondary sexual characters could function as reliable signals of male quality, enabling females to discriminate among potential partners, both in the pre- and post-copulatory phases. In this context, many studies have revealed the importance of promiscuous mating systems and female sperm storage in determining the occurrence of such a model of sexual selection. By contrast, few studies have investigated the presence and extent of post-copulatory female choice in chelonian species. The present study aimed to investigate the effect of male size, male-male competition, and courtship intensity on paternity distribution in Testudo hermanni hermanni, combining behavioural and genetic data. We created experimental groups composed of two males of different sizes and three or four randomly selected females. Observations conducted during social interactions between males revealed that a hierarchy, unrelated to male size, was soon established: Alpha males were more aggressive towards competitors and courted females more intensively. Alpha males also achieved a higher mounting success than Beta males. Paternity analysis performed on hatchlings produced from experimental females revealed that male reproductive success was not correlated with male-female size ratio. Finally, despite the higher mounting success of Alpha males, paternity analysis revealed that male reproductive success did not differ between Alpha and Beta males. © 2014 The Linnean Society of London, Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2014, 111, 656-667. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Assessing population trends is a basic prerequisite to carrying out adequate conservation strategies. Selecting an appropriate method to monitor animal populations can be challenging, particularly for low-detection species such as reptiles. This study compares 3 detection-corrected abundance methods (capture-recapture, distance sampling, and N-mixture) used to assess population size of the threatened Hermann's tortoise. We used a single dataset of 432 adult tortoise observations collected at 118 sampling sites in the Plaine des Maures, southeastern France. We also used a dataset of 520 tortoise observations based on radiotelemetry data collected from 10 adult females to estimate and model the availability ( g0) needed for distance sampling. We evaluated bias for N-mixture and capture-recapture, by using simulations based on different values of detection probabilities. Finally, we conducted a power analysis to estimate the ability of the 3 methods to detect changes in Hermann's tortoise abundances. The abundance estimations we obtained using distance sampling and N-mixture models were respectively 1.75 and 2.19 times less than those obtained using the capture-recapture method. Our results indicated that g0 was influenced by temperature variations and can differ for the same temperature on different days. Simulations showed that the N-mixture models provide unstable estimations for species with detection probabilities <0.5, whereas capture-recapture estimations were unbiased. Power analysis showed that none of the 3 methods were precise enough to detect slow population changes. We recommend that great care should be taken when implementing monitoring designs for species with large variation in activity rates and low detection probabilities. Although N-mixture models are easy to implement, we would not recommend using them in situations where the detection probability is very low at the risk of providing biased estimates. Among the 3 methods allowing estimation of tortoise abundances, capture-recapture should be preferred to assess population trends. © 2013 The Wildlife Society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding wildlife movements and habitat selection are critical to drafting conservation and management plans. We studied a population of eastern Hermann's tortoise ( Testudo hermanni boettgeri) in a traditionally managed rural landscape in Romania, near the northern edge of the species geographic distribution. We used telemetry to radio-track 24 individuals between 2005 and 2008 and performed a Euclidian distance-based habitat selection analysis to investigate habitats preferred by tortoises at both landscapes (second-order order selection) and individual (third-order selection) home range scales. The home range size for tortoises in our study area was 3.79 ± 0.62 ha and did not differ by gender or season (pre- and post-nesting seasons). Their movement ecology was characterized by short-distance movements (daily mean = 31.18 ± 1.59 m), apparently unaffected by habitat type. In contrast to other studies, movements of males and females were of similar magnitude. At the landscape (population home range) scale, grasslands and shrubs were preferred, but tortoises also showed affinity to forest edges. At the individual home range scale, tortoises selected grassland and shrub habitats, avoided forests, and used forest edges randomly. Creeks were avoided at both spatial scales. Our results suggest that tortoise home ranges contain well-defined associations of habitats despite a higher selection for grasslands. As such, avoiding land conversion to other uses and maintaining habitat heterogeneity through traditional practices (e.g., manual mowing of grasslands, livestock grazing) are critical for the persistence of tortoise populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a study which investigates the outbreak of diarrhea in an outdoor group of captive Hermann's tortoises or Testudo hermanni, which was associated with fecal shedding of cryptosporidial oocysts, as ascertained by immunoassay and coproscopic examinations. It identifies two different Cryptosporidium genotypes, Cryptosporidium tortoise genotype and Cryptosporidium ducismarci, in fecal samples. It is inferred that one of the Cryptosporidium genotypes contribute clinical symptoms.

A Hermann's tortoise (Testudo hermanni boettgeri) from Germany was presented for medical examination showing signs of upper respiratory tract disease and hyperuricemia. The tortoise was kept with a Russian tortoise (Testudo horsfieldii) for 1 month before presentation. After 1 month of treatment, the respiratory symptoms disappeared. Herpesvirus (HV) was detected from an oral swab by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The use of different PCRs and sequencing a portion of the DNA polymerase gene demonstrated that the virus was identical to other HV isolates from Russian tortoises (tortoise herpesvirus 1, ToHVl) but distinct from HV isolates from other tortoises, including previously described HVs from Hermann's tortoises (ToHV3). This is the first description of the detection of a ToHV1 in a Hermann's tortoise. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]