Burmese Tortoise

BURMESE TORTOISE, Manouria emys phayrei, Manouria emys phayrei

Order: Cryptodira Family: Testudinidae (3 Manouria species)

Also Known As: Burmese brown tortoise
and Burmese black tortoise

DESCRIPTION:

To 23 inches. Largest tortoise in Asia. Domed carapace. Short, wide cervical and divided supracaudal scutes. Slightly serrate posterior marginals. Flattened vertebral region. Front of forelimbs with thick, heavy, pointing, and overlapping scales. Large patch of enlarged, pointed scales on posterior thighs.

DISTRIBUTION:

Assam to western Thailand. In broadleaf evergreen forests, particularly in uplands. It needs moisture and frequently burrows into damp soil. It is crepuscular, though not very active.

BREEDING:

See references below.

NESTING:
Builds and defends nest site for 2 to 3 days following oviposition. Average clutch is 39 eggs (maximum 51), just over 2 inches in diameter each. Hatchlings are 2-1/2 inches.

DIET:

Mainly herbivorous. Eats aquatic plants.

BURMESE BROWN TORTOISE

The Burmese brown tortoise lives in the hills and mountain forests of Burma, Thailand, India and Malaysia. They are heavily exploited for human food. Brown tortoises are herbivorous, however they will also eat snails, insects and small frogs.

Like their close relatives the Burmese black tortoise, they have flattened carapaces (shells) and enjoy bathing in shallow water for hours or days at a time.

References

The Completely Illustrated Atlas of Reptiles and Amphibians for the Terrarium. Fritz Jurgen Obst, Dr. Klaus Richter, and Dr. Udo Jacob. Translated by U.E. Friese. Neptune City, New Jersey: T.F.H. Publications, Inc., 1988.

Encyclopedia of Turtles. Dr. Peter C.H. Pritchard. Neptune, New Jersey: T.F.H. Publications, Inc., 1979.

The Management and Breeding of the Asian Forest Tortoise (Manouria emys) in Captivity by Sean McKeown, Duane E. Meier and James O. Juvik. Proc. 1st Intern. Symposium on Turtles & Tortoises: Conservation & Captive Husbandry. pp. 138-159, 1991.

Available online at http://www.tortoise.org/archives/manouria.html