Reptiles
Hermann's Tortoise
Testudo hermanni · also called Hermann's tortoise
Hermann’s tortoise spends a surprising share of the year simply shut down, hibernating through the cold Mediterranean winter and, in some regions, resting through the hottest, driest stretch of summer too. In between, it moves through a slow, steady routine of basking and grazing that has kept the species going for decades at a time.
Overview
Hermann’s tortoise, Testudo hermanni, is a small, hardy grazer of dry forest, scrubland, and grassland across Mediterranean Europe. A domed, boldly marked shell and a long tail tipped with a spur in males are among its most recognisable features.
Dormant twice a year, active in between
Beyond winter hibernation, some populations also rest through peak summer heat in a state called aestivation. The species can live for several decades, a slow life history that has made past over-collection for the pet trade especially hard for wild populations to recover from.
Status
Near Threatened and decreasing — pressured by habitat loss, wildfire, and a history of illegal collection, now addressed through legal protection and conservation programmes across parts of its Mediterranean range.
Hermann's Tortoise: common questions
Why does Hermann's tortoise become dormant twice a year in some areas?
In regions with both cold winters and hot, dry summers, the species may hibernate through the coldest winter months to avoid low temperatures it cannot tolerate while active, and separately enter a period of summer dormancy called aestivation during the hottest, driest part of summer to avoid excessive heat stress and water loss, meaning it can spend a substantial portion of the year inactive and sheltered rather than actively foraging.
How can you tell a male Hermann's tortoise from a female?
Males generally have a proportionally longer tail ending in a distinct claw-like spur, while females typically have a noticeably shorter tail without as prominent a spur, and there can also be some differences in overall body shape and proportions between the sexes, with these combined features commonly used by keepers and researchers to determine sex in the species.
Why is Hermann's tortoise legally protected in parts of its range?
Historical over-collection of wild individuals for the exotic pet trade, combined with ongoing habitat loss from agricultural conversion, development, and wildfires across parts of the Mediterranean, contributed to significant population declines, prompting several countries within the species' range to introduce legal protections and trade restrictions aimed at reducing further pressure on wild populations while conservation and habitat protection efforts continue.
How long can a Hermann's tortoise live?
The species can live for several decades under good conditions in the wild, and captive individuals have been documented living considerably longer in some cases, reflecting the generally slow-paced, long-lived life history typical of tortoises as a broader group, which also means that a heavily depleted population can take a very long time to recover through natural reproduction alone.