Testudo hermanni
The Testudo hermanni or Hermann's Testudo is the most common specie of Mediterranean tortoises and it is the only Italian land tortoise. It is characterized by a very convex carapace, which can be 25 cm high and yellow colour with black spots. It lives in the southern Europe, especially in the Balkan Peninsula and in the south east of Romania, and it prefers coastal and sub-coastal zones. Moreover it lives in colonized dunes, brush, Holm oak woods and nearby cultivated areas and olive graves. It is a specie which is threaded with extinction because of summer fires, illegal trade and anthropization. So for this reason it is protected by national and international laws. In Italy, the custody and the reptiles trade are controlled by Berna Convention, Washington Convention and by Ministerial Decree April 19th 1996 and following changes.
