Hermans Tortoise?

Question

What is the territorial range of a wild Hermans Tortoise? Do they stick to one territory or do they roam around? How far do they travel to forage for food?

Answer 1

Testudo hermanni can be found throughout southern Europe. The western subspecies (T. hermanni hermanni) is found in eastern Spain, southern France, the Baleares islands, Corsica, Sardinia, and central Italy (Tuscany). The eastern subspecies (T. hermanni boettgeri) is found in Croatia, Macedonia, Romania, Bulgaria, Albania, and Greece.

They roam about the Mediterranean meadows of their habitat in search of food they don't go very far about one mile radius around.
They determine which plants to eat by the sense of smell. (In captivity, they are known to eat dandelions, clover, crowsfoot, lettuce, as well as the leaves, flowers, and pods of almost all legumes.)

Hope this helps

Answer 2

The ranges of wild tortoises are only lightly studied to date. One thing we do know is that they are incredibly variable. One speciman may travel several hundred yards every day, while another barely moves.

In general, adult males sit tight- hunkered down in a comfy burrow. They have the body mass they need, and they know where to find a good mating spot, so they conserve their energy. When they do eat, which may actually only be once a month or so, they will combine a moving forage with a sit and feast depending on conditions they find.

Young turtles are rarely seen- they spend most of their time in hiding and have pretty small ranges.

Young adult males and most females wander all the time. They may wander far, or they may circle around a small zone. They also change between the two, probably based on food availability.

Both of these are looking to bulk up- females to carry eggs, males to succeed in courtship and battle.

I know you were hoping fo a nice simple formula, but we do not yet understand their movements enough to boil it down like that.

Answer 3

Testudo hermanni hermanni
They fight for territory with other males, their territory depends on how far they need to roam to provide food but upto a mile square seems reasonable