Forsten's tortoise

Forsten's tortoise (Indotestudo forstenii), also known commonly as the Sulawesi tortoise, is a species of tortoise in the family Testudinidae. The species is native to Sulawesi Island, Indonesia.

Forsten's tortoise
Conservation status
Critically Endangered  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Order:	Testudines
Suborder:	Cryptodira
Superfamily:	Testudinoidea
Family:	Testudinidae
Genus:	Indotestudo
Species:	I. forstenii
Binomial name
Indotestudo forstenii (Schlegel & S. Müller, 1845)
Synonyms[2]
Testudo forstenii Schlegel & S. Müller, 1845 Peltastes forstenii — Gray, 1872 Testudo forsteni E. Williams, 1952 (ex errore) Geochelone forsteni — Pritchard, 1967 Geochelone forstenii — Honegger, 1980 Indotestudo forstenii — Bour, 1980 Indotestudo forsteni — Groombridge, 1982 Indotestudo elongata forsteni — Obst, 1985 Geochelone elongata forsteni — Gosławski & Hryniewicz, 1993 Indotestudo foresternii Choudhury & Bhupathy, 1993 (ex errore)

Taxonomy

Forsten's tortoise is one of three tortoise species placed in the genus Indotestudo, the others being the elongated tortoise (I. elongata), and the Travancore tortoise (I. travancorica).

Etymology

The specific name, forstenii, is in honor of Dutch botanist Eltio Alegondas Forsten.^[3]

Geographic range

I. forstenii can be found on Sulawesi Island of Indonesia, and its nearby islands such as Halmahera island. In Sulawesi, it is found in the central and northern parts of the island.^[4]

In North Sulawesi, it is found in Mount Boliahutu and around Buol, while in Central Sulawesi, it is found in Santigi, Morowali Reserve, Palu Valley, Kulawi Valley, Bora Village near Gimpu, and along the western border of Lore Lindu National Park.^[5]

Habitat

The preferred natural habitat of I. forstenii is forest.^[1]

Reproduction

I. forstenii is oviparous.^[6] Sexually mature females lay clutches of eggs throughout the year. Each clutch consists of one or two eggs.^[1]

Gallery

• 
  Baby Forsten's tortoise

See also

• Sulawesi forest turtle (Leucocephalon yuwonoi) – another threatened turtle endemic to Sulawesi, Indonesia.