Notes on the thermal ecology of Testudo hermanni hermanni in Menorca (Balearic Islands, Spain)

We studied the thermal ecology of Testudo hermanni hermanni in Menorca during late spring. We measured body temperatures of adult individuals, together with air and substrate temperatures at points of capture. Sunlight exposure (full sun, filtered sun, or shade) and type of substrate were also recorded. Body temperatures were similar between sexes (mean = 29.95°C) as were air temperatures between gender capture sites (mean = 28.33°C). Conversely, females were found in areas with a higher substrate temperature (31.60°C) than males were (29.15°C). Moreover, the correlation between body and air temperatures was stronger than it was between body and substrate temperatures, as found in other populations of this species. The tortoises were usually found in full sun, and the proportion of animals found in each sunlight category was similar between sexes. Our results contribute to the knowledge of the thermal ecology of the western Hermann’s tortoise.

Impacts of a wildfire on the mortality rate and small-scale movements of a Hermann's tortoise Testudo hermanni hermanni population in southeastern France

Because they have high longevity and a weak dispersal capacity, chelonians are known to be highly impacted by fire. We investigated the immediate demographic consequences of a wildfire occurring in 2009 on a population of Hermann's tortoises Testudo hermanni in the Plaine des Maures in southeastern France using the multistate capture–recapture method. Over two years (2009 and 2010), 108 adult individuals were marked. Survival probability was higher in the unburned (0.99) than in the burned area (0.43). The inter-annual transition probability from the burned to the unburned area was high (0.72). These results show that fire affects survival by immediately killing individuals and by inducing small-scale movements from burned to unburned areas.