Misplaced Pages

Burmese star tortoise
At Sunshine International Aquarium, Japan
Conservation status
Critically Endangered  (IUCN 3.1)
CITES Appendix I (CITES)
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Order:	Testudines
Suborder:	Cryptodira
Superfamily:	Testudinoidea
Family:	Testudinidae
Genus:	Geochelone
Species:	G. platynota
Binomial name
Geochelone platynota (Blyth, 1863)
Synonyms
Testudo platynota Blyth, 1863 Peltastes platynotus Gray, 1870 Testudo platinota Bourret, 1941 (ex errore) Testudo platynotus Bourret, 1941 Geochelone platynota Loveridge & Williams, 1957 Geochelone elegans platynota Obst, 1985 Geochelone platynotata Paull, 1997 (ex errore)

The Burmese star tortoise (Geochelone platynota) is a critically endangered tortoise species, native to the dry, deciduous forests of Myanmar (Burma).

Description

The Burmese star tortoise has radiating star-shaped patterns on its strongly domed carapace. It has bumps on its shell that look like stars. This tortoise can easily be distinguished from the more common Indian star tortoise by comparing the plastrons of the two species.

Captive breeding

The breeding of the Burmese star tortoise is difficult, and its first successful breeding in captivity was in Taipei Zoo, Taiwan, where a few Burmese star tortoises were hatched in 2003.

Yadanabon Zoological Gardens is also currently engaged in a captive-breeding program to attempt to increase the population of this tortoise.

Starting with 200 tortoises in 2004, by October 2017, there were 14,000 tortoises in breeding programs and 1000 have been reintroduced into the wild. On 31 July 2021, Richard Branson announced two baby Burmese star tortoises were born on his private island, Necker Island, as part of his ongoing conservation work for the species.

References

1. Praschag, P.; Platt, K.; Horne, B.D (2020). "Geochelone platynota". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2020: e.T9013A123815185. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2020-2.RLTS.T9013A123815185.en.
2. Fritz Uwe; Peter Havaš (2007). "Checklist of Chelonians of the World". Vertebrate Zoology. 57 (2): 279. doi:10.3897/vz.57.e30895. ISSN 1864-5755. S2CID 87809001.
3. "Burmese starred tortoise videos, photos and facts - Geochelone platynota | ARKive". Archived from the original on 2014-03-04. Retrieved 2014-04-22.
4. "送緬甸星龜回緬甸-2003臺北動物園全球首度成功繁殖". Taipei Zoo (in Chinese (Taiwan)). 2009-09-16. Retrieved 2018-09-27.
5. Yin, Steph (4 October 2017). "Slow and Steady, a Tortoise Is Winning Its Race With Extinction (Published 2017)". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 2021-10-30.

External links

• Columbia Science Review
• Assessing reintroduction sites for Burmese star tortoises
• Population status and conservation of the Critically Endangered Burmese Star Tortoise Geochelone platynota in central Myanmar
• Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora

v t e Tortoise family
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Reptilia Subclass: Anapsida Order: Testudines Suborder: Cryptodira Superfamily: Testudinoidea Family: Testudinidae
Genera	Species of the tortoise family
Agrionemys	Russian tortoise
Aldabrachelys	Aldabra giant tortoise (subspecies: A. g. arnoldi †A. g. daudinii A. g. hololissa) †Aldabrachelys abrupta †Aldabrachelys grandidieri
Astrochelys	Angonoka tortoise Radiated tortoise †Astrochelys rogerbouri
Centrochelys	African spurred tortoise †Centrochelys atlantica †Centrochelys burchardi †Centrochelys vulcanica
Chelonoidis	Chaco tortoise Red-footed tortoise Yellow-footed tortoise †Chelonoidis alburyorum †Chelonoidis cubensis †Chelonoidis lutzae †Chelonoidis monensis †Chelonoidis sellovii †Chelonoidis sombrerensis
Galápagos tortoise Chelonoidis complex	Cerro Azul giant tortoise Chatham Island giant tortoise Eastern Santa Cruz tortoise Fernandina Island tortoise †Floreana Island tortoise Hood Island giant tortoise (Diego) Santa Fe Island tortoise †Pinta Island tortoise †(Lonesome George) Santiago Island giant tortoise Pinzón Island giant tortoise Sierra Negra giant tortoise Volcán Alcedo giant tortoise Volcán Darwin giant tortoise Volcán Wolf giant tortoise Western Santa Cruz tortoise
†Cheirogaster	†Cheirogaster bacharidisi †Cheirogaster gymnesica †Cheirogaster schafferi
Chersina	Angulate tortoise
Chersobius	Nama padloper Karoo padloper Speckled padloper
†Cylindraspis	†Domed Mauritius giant tortoise †Domed Rodrigues giant tortoise †Réunion giant tortoise †Saddle-backed Mauritius giant tortoise †Saddle-backed Rodrigues giant tortoise
Geochelone	Burmese star tortoise Indian star tortoise
Gopherus	Bolson tortoise Desert tortoise Goode's thornscrub tortoise Gopher tortoise Sonoran Desert tortoise Texas tortoise
†Hadrianus	†Hadrianus corsoni †Hadrianus majusculus †Hadrianus octonaria †Hadrianus robustus †Hadrianus schucherti †Hadrianus utahensis †Hadrianus vialovi
†Hesperotestudo	†Hesperotestudo percrassa
Homopus	Common padloper Greater padloper
Indotestudo	Elongated tortoise Forsten's tortoise Travancore tortoise
Kinixys	Bell's hinge-back tortoise Forest hinge-back tortoise Home's hinge-back tortoise Lobatse hinge-back tortoise Natal hinge-back tortoise Speke's hinge-back tortoise
Malacochersus	Pancake tortoise
Manouria	Asian forest tortoise Impressed tortoise
†Megalochelys	†Megalochelys atlas †Megalochelys cautleyi †Megalochelys margae †Megalochelys sondaari
Psammobates	Geometric tortoise Serrated tortoise Tent tortoise
Pyxis	Flat-backed spider tortoise Spider tortoise
Stigmochelys	Leopard tortoise
†Stylemys	†Stylemys botti †Stylemys calaverensis †Stylemys canetotiana †Stylemys capax †Stylemys conspecta †Stylemys copei †Stylemys emiliae †Stylemys frizaciana †Stylemys karakolensis †Stylemys nebrascensis †Stylemys neglectus †Stylemys oregonensis †Stylemys pygmea †Stylemys uintensis †Stylemys undabuna
Testudo	Hermann's tortoise Kleinmann's tortoise Marginated tortoise Spur-thighed tortoise †Testudo brevitesta
Phylogenetic arrangement of turtles based on turtles of the world 2017 update: Annotated checklist and atlas of taxonomy, synonymy, distribution, and conservation status. Key: †=extinct.

• IUCN Red List critically endangered species
• Geochelone
• Turtles of Asia
• Endemic fauna of Myanmar
• Reptiles of Myanmar
• Critically endangered fauna of Asia
• Species that are or were threatened by the pet trade
• Species that are or were threatened by use as food
• Reptiles described in 1863
• Taxa named by Edward Blyth
• Reptiles as pets