NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Mediterranean Spur-thighed Tortoise
Testudo graeca Linnaeus, 1758
Source-backed taxonomic record
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
Tunisian tortoise (Testudo graeca nabeulensis) male, Cap Bon peninsula, Tunisia
Charles J. Sharp · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Image sourceProvider-generated thumbnail requested at 800 pixels; no local editing Local WebP display rendition; resized without cropping.
Open encyclopedia reference
The Greek tortoise (Testudo graeca), also known commonly as the Moorish tortoise and the spur-thighed tortoise, is a species of tortoise in the family Testudinidae. The species is a medium-sized herbivorous testudinid, widely distributed in the Mediterranean region.
T. graeca is recognized for its longevity, with verified lifespans exceeding 100 years and anecdotal reports suggesting ages over 125 years. Among reptiles, it has one of the largest known genomes.
Wikipedia contributors, Greek tortoise; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T12:26:08.959597+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Testudo graeca Linnaeus, 1758
- Name authority
- Linnaeus, 1758
- Common name
- Mediterranean Spur-thighed Tortoise
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Reptilia
- Order
- Testudines
- Family
- Testudinidae
- Genus
- Testudo
- Extinction status
- Not supplied by this source
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- megaclassTetrapoda
- classReptilia Laurenti, 1768
- orderTestudines Batsch, 1788
- suborderCryptodira
- superfamilyTestudinoidea
- familyTestudinidae
- genusTestudo
- speciesTestudo graeca Linnaeus, 1758
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Testudo. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Testudo kleinmanni Lortet, 1883 | TestudinidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Fergana Valley Steppe Tortoise [bogdanovi]Testudo horsfieldii Gray, 1844 | TestudinidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Dwarf marginated tortoise (weissingeri)Testudo marginata Schoepff, 1792 | TestudinidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
Names & synonyms
Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.
Documented distribution
Source distribution statements, not a complete range map. A listed locality is not necessarily a place of origin.
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- https://reptile-database.reptarium.cz/species?genus=Testudo&species=graeca Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:55JSJ. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.