Homopus
Encyclopedia
Homopus is a genus of tiny tortoise
s in the Testudinidae family. As a group, they are commonly known as "Cape tortoises" or "padlopers" (meaning "path-walkers" in Afrikaans
), and include the smallest tortoises in the world.
The genus is indigenous and endemic to southern Africa
, with four of the species occurring within South Africa
, and one
in Namibia
. They are threatened by traffic on roads, overgrazing and poaching for the pet trade (Homopus species do not generally survive well in captivity). Another threat comes from introduced species, such as domestic dogs and pigs.
The genus contains the following species:
Tortoise
Tortoises are a family of land-dwelling reptiles of the order of turtles . Like their marine cousins, the sea turtles, tortoises are shielded from predators by a shell. The top part of the shell is the carapace, the underside is the plastron, and the two are connected by the bridge. The tortoise...
s in the Testudinidae family. As a group, they are commonly known as "Cape tortoises" or "padlopers" (meaning "path-walkers" in Afrikaans
Afrikaans
Afrikaans is a West Germanic language, spoken natively in South Africa and Namibia. It is a daughter language of Dutch, originating in its 17th century dialects, collectively referred to as Cape Dutch .Afrikaans is a daughter language of Dutch; see , , , , , .Afrikaans was historically called Cape...
), and include the smallest tortoises in the world.
The genus is indigenous and endemic to southern Africa
Southern Africa
Southern Africa is the southernmost region of the African continent, variably defined by geography or geopolitics. Within the region are numerous territories, including the Republic of South Africa ; nowadays, the simpler term South Africa is generally reserved for the country in English.-UN...
, with four of the species occurring within South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
, and one
Berger's Cape Tortoise
The Berger's cape tortoise or Nama padloper , previously is a species of tortoise in the Homopus genus.It is endemic to Namibia....
in Namibia
Namibia
Namibia, officially the Republic of Namibia , is a country in southern Africa whose western border is the Atlantic Ocean. It shares land borders with Angola and Zambia to the north, Botswana to the east and South Africa to the south and east. It gained independence from South Africa on 21 March...
. They are threatened by traffic on roads, overgrazing and poaching for the pet trade (Homopus species do not generally survive well in captivity). Another threat comes from introduced species, such as domestic dogs and pigs.
The genus contains the following species:
- Beaked cape tortoiseBeaked Cape TortoiseThe beaked cape tortoise or parrot-beaked padloper is a tiny species of tortoise of the Homopus genus.It is endemic to the Republic of South Africa and is found specifically in the Western Cape Province. Like its larger relative, the Karoo cape tortoise, it has only four toes on its front feet...
(Homopus areolatus) - Berger's cape tortoiseBerger's Cape TortoiseThe Berger's cape tortoise or Nama padloper , previously is a species of tortoise in the Homopus genus.It is endemic to Namibia....
(H. solus or H. bergeri) - Boulenger's cape tortoiseBoulenger's Cape TortoiseBoulenger's cape tortoise or Boulenger's padloper is a tortoise of the Homopus genus, endemic to the Nama Karoo Region of South Africa and in southern Namibia....
(H. boulengeri) - Karoo cape tortoiseKaroo Cape TortoiseThe Karoo cape tortoise or Karoo padloper is a tiny tortoise of the Homopus genus, endemic to the Karoo region of South Africa....
(H. femoralis) - Speckled padloper tortoiseSpeckled Padloper TortoiseThe speckled padloper or speckled Cape tortoise is the world’s smallest tortoise. It is endemic to South Africa....
(H. signatus)