Are any species of tortoise indigenous to the UK?

Answer 1

no its too cold in winter in the UK for tortoises to survive,in the open (in the wild),as they are cold blooded,and cant produce their own body heat,they would freeze to death in the first sign of frost or snow,we do have some indigenous reptiles in this country such as snakes, newts,etc,but we have never had tortoises

Answer 2

No..

A tortoise is a land-dwelling reptile of the order Testudines. Most land tortoises are herbivorous in the wild - The giant tortoises of the Galápagos Islands helped Charles Darwin formulate his theory of evolution, since the isolated populations on the different islands, although descended from a common ancestor, had diverged to different forms.

Reptiles are a class of horny skinned vertebrates. In Britain we have three idigeneous species of snake; smooth, grass, and adder, and three indigenous species of lizard; common, sand and slow worm. The slow worm looks like a snake, but it is actually a legless lizard.

Thanks to the stupid film, Ninjia Turtles, there is now a small wild colony of Trachemys scripta elegans - the red eared Terapin, in many parts of the UK. Red-eared terrapins are native to the southern United States, but they are commonly found in many parts of the UK due to widespread release of imported pets.

Following the cult film "Mutant Ninja Turtles", in the 1980's, many people bought a pet terrapin. Once they realised how much care they needed, and that they can live for over 40 years, they were let loose in the countryside.

They are almost totally aquatic, but they will leave the water to bask on hot sunny days.

Similar species are the red-bellied sliders which lack the red ear stripes and if you turn them over, the underside of the shell has a reddish colour. Also the European Pond Turtle is similar in shape and size but it has a more rounded head.

Red-eared terrapins can give a nasty bite which can transmit diseases so any wounds should be treated as soon as possible.

on Jersey, Channel Islands, Podarcis muralis - The wall lizard is an alien species introduced from southern Europe, where it is frequently seen running up and down the walls of buildings. It has light spotted markings along it's flanks.

Most pet tortioses in the UK are the european varieties of Hermans' (T.hermanni, T. Graeca, T. marginata), and the Egyptian (T. klienmanni).

The Hermann's Tortoise (Testudo hermanni) is one of seven tortoise species in the genus Testudo, along with the Marginated Tortoise (T. marginata) and the Greek Tortoise (T. graeca). Two subspecies are known: the Western Hermann's Tortoise (T.h. hermanni) and the Eastern Hermann's Tortoise (T.h. boettgeri).

Answer 3

wot David C is trying to say is no...... I have a toroise for sale if any one is in NI and interested.......

Answer 4

no to cold

Answer 5

no