| implications for conservation of collection of mediterranean spur-thighed tortoise as pets in morocco: residents' perceptions, habits, and knowledge. | the trading and collection of wild animals as pets may be cause for concern regarding animal welfare and species conservation. these concerns can be exemplified by mediterranean spur-thighed tortoise (testudo graeca), a long-living species whose use as pets is long established. the human dimension plays a major role in the wildlife for the pet collection, and is particularly important in countries like morocco, where this might pose a threat to the conservation of the species involved. this stud ... | 2020 | 32046121 |
| impact of habitat loss on the diversity and structure of ecological networks between oxyurid nematodes and spur-thighed tortoises (testudo graeca l.). | habitat loss and fragmentation are recognized as affecting the nature of biotic interactions, although we still know little about such changes for reptilian herbivores and their hindgut nematodes, in which endosymbiont interactions could range from mutualistic to commensal and parasitic. we investigated the potential cost and benefit of endosymbiont interactions between the spur-thighed tortoise (testudo graeca l.) and adult oxyurid nematodes (pharyngodonidae order oxyurida) in scrublands of sou ... | 2019 | 31824759 |
| population density of the spur-thighed tortoise testudo graeca declines after fire in north-western africa. | fire is a key ecological process in several biomes worldwide. over recent decades, human activities (e.g. rural abandonment, monoculture plantations) and global warming are magnifying the risk of fire, with changes in fire intensity and frequency. here, we offer the first study that examines the impact of fire on the spur-thighed tortoise testudo graeca living in a native cork oak forest and pine plantation in north-western africa. a total of 44 transects (22 burnt and 22 unburnt) were sampled a ... | 2019 | 31419242 |
| absence of crimean-congo haemorrhagic fever virus in the tick hyalomma aegyptium parasitizing the spur-thighed tortoise (testudo graeca) in tunisia. | free-ranging spur-thighed tortoises testudo graeca, captured in different habitat types of northern tunisia from march to april 2017, were examined for tick infestation: 134/147 (91%) were infested. the overall infestation intensity and abundance was 8.5 and 7.8, respectively. from these tortoises, 1174 ticks were collected, of which 10% (n = 120) taken from 18 randomly-selected tortoises were identified at the species level; the remaining ticks were examined for the presence of crimean-congo ha ... | 2019 | 31198174 |
| orchiectomy in testudo species: technical aspects and effect on courtship behaviour. | courtship behaviour of tortoises includes biting, ramming, chasing, same-sex sexual behaviour, and it commonly is excessive in european tortoise species kept as pets. as a result, males are kept individually. to assess the effect of orchiectomy on excessive courtship behaviour in european tortoises, 50 tortoises (testudo graeca , t hermanni and t marginata ) underwent endoscopically assisted orchiectomy from april through september 2013 to 2017. statistical analyses were performed in relation to ... | 2019 | 30878949 |
| the role of virus "x" (tortoise picornavirus) in kidney disease and shell weakness syndrome in european tortoise species determined by experimental infection. | tortoise picornavirus (topv) commonly known as virus "x" was recently discovered in juvenile european tortoises suffering from soft carapace and plastron as well as kidney disease. therefore, this virus was a potential candidate to be a causative agent for these disease patterns. spur thighed tortoises (testudo graeca) seemed to be more susceptible to establish clinical symptoms than other european species like t. hermanni. thus this trial investigated the role of topv in the described syndrome. ... | 2019 | 30779796 |
| tick parasitism in the mediterranean spur-thighed tortoise in the maamora forest, morocco. | macroparasites in general, and ectoparasites in particular, have the potential to regulate host population dynamics. in this context, this study addresses the tick parasitism traits of the mediterranean spur-thighed tortoise (testudo graeca) in the core area of its distribution range (northwestern morocco, maamora). it was discovered that 92.5% of the tortoises were parasitized by ticks in spring, with an infestation intensity and an abundance of 6.7 and 6.2 tick/tortoise, respectively. the obse ... | 2019 | 30459084 |
| histochemical and ultrastructural study of the digestive tract of the tortoise testudo graeca (testudines). | the digestive tract of the tortoise testudo graeca (testudines) was investigated by means of light and electron microscopy. the esophagus of t. graeca was lined by two types of epithelium: non-keratinized stratified squamous in the upper portion and stratified columnar in the lower. the lamina propria of the esophagus contained tubular or tubuloacinar glands. the mucosa of the stomach showed similar characteristics to those of other reptiles. the small intestine exhibited longitudinal folds line ... | 1990 | 29865718 |