Last updated: 9 June 2001. Added section on Matamata
Despite their limited range and extreme scarceness, it is not impossible to get hold of a Galapagos giant tortoise if you can fill in the requisite paperwork, since some are bred in the US. However, think twice, about the creature's size and its lifespan. Could you really provide a secure enclosure big enough for such a giant, without it breaking down the fences in your garden? Could you feed it every day? And when you're gone, almost certainly predeceasing the tortoise if it is kept properly, who is going to look after it? The climate in the UK is almost certainly inimical to any reasonable outdoor life for these creatures, so go to the zoo or watch the video.
Much of the above paragraph also (obviously!) applies to the Aldabras, giant tortoises that have managed to survive on isolated islands in the Indian Ocean north of Madagascar. Although the Galapagos Tortoise is better known, the Aldabra may actually be the larger, although it may not live as long (there seems to be some doubt given lack of verifiable data). Apparently the two species are easily confused, even in parks and zoos, but the best way to tell them apart is the shape of the head, Aldabras being somewhat angular while Galapagos have rounded heads and higher nostrils. Aldabras are true omnivores.
The Kinixys genus of tortoises hails from Africa, where the various species dwell for the most part in moist savannah or tropical forests. They are unusual in their body structure: unlike most chelonians that close off their limbs by hinges on the front of their plastron, Kinixys species close off their hind legs by means of a hinge on the rear of the carapace. Hatchlings are born somewhat flattened and lacking the hinge. Unusually for a tortoise, they can also swim.
Although they are still imported and available, Hinge-Backs are difficult captives, requiring a temperature that remains almost constantly over 70 deg. and a humidity of 70-90%. They are also rather secretive and do not have the same degree of personality as other tortoises. Bartlett, deVosjoli and Walls all have reservations about the import of these delicate tortoises into Europe and the US, so please don't be tempted by the often low price that pet shop captives are offered at. Few Hinge-Backs live long in captivity, so leave them to zoos and specialists.
This is the odd one out among the Mediterranean tortoises, since as it lives in the Egyptian desert it never becomes cool enough to need to hibernate. For that reason they make very poor captives in more temperate climates, and most succumb quickly. In places like Arizona it might be a different story, but this tortoise is on CITES I so specimens are virtually unavailable, fortunately.
These smallish turtles hail from the rivers and other water systems of the central and eastern US, notably Alabama, Florida, Louisiana and Mississippi. They display sexual dimorphism inasmuch as the females tend to be up to 4" longer than the males, although none grow larger than 10", and the males retain their bright colours while the females tend to fade with age. Adult females of some species also tend to develop very powerful jaws to prey on water-dwelling prey such as lobsters, snails and bivalves.
Many map turtle species are endangered due to the usual pressures upon their habitat. The biggest problem for a prospective map keeper, however, is that they are extremely sensitive to water quality, and that the water must therefore be very clean and filtered at all times. Furthermore, the diet of some of the female map turtles mentioned above may be hard to provide in captivity, particularly outside of North America.
The bizarre-looking matamata lives in the rivers and other water systems of Amazon jungle, where the water is noticeably acidic. Although aquatic it is not a good swimmer and tends to walk along the river bed, breathing through the snorkel-like appendage on its nose. It preys mainly on live fish, but some specimens will consume other food (invertebrates or, in captivity, thawed frozen fish).
This is not a small turtle, reaching a carapace length of up to 18", and a recent article (Reptilia 15) indicates that unless the water used in the enclosure is acidic, the turtles will not thrive and will in fact probably die. The article notes that the pH of some water systems in the matamata's range are about 4-4.4 and may even be as low as 3.2. The large enclosure necessary for just one adult specimen, and the fact that many will only take live fish, makes this a species really suitable for advanced and well-resourced keepers only.