One of the most popular pet when it comes to tortoises is the Herman tortoise. The scientific name of this tortoise is Testudo hermanni boettgeri. It is otherwise also called a Mediterranean tortoise because it is mainly found in the Mediterranean oak forests and the arid grasslands. There are mainly three sub-species of this tortoise, the Testudo hermanni boettgeri (the Eastern Herman tortoise), the Testudo hermanni hercegovinensis (the Dalmatian tortoise from Southern Europe) and the Testudo hermanni hermanni (the Western herman tortoise which is the original species). However, it is believed that there can be a fourth sub-species of this tortoise, the Testudo hermanni peleponnesica. Though this has not been confirmed as of now and is being genetically tested.The Herman tortoise is a golden brown tortoise with two black stripes that run down its plastron from its head to its tail. Its carapace has scutes extending over its rear legs. Most male Herman tortoises have a spur on the end of their tails. The adults often have a yellow spot beneath their tympanum. The female Herman tortoises are larger than their male counterparts. Usually, a female grows about 10 inches long, while; the male can grow only around 5 inches. The female lays around 3 to 12 eggs which hatch in about 90 to 120 days. The infants start eating in just a couple of days and start moving in around 3 to 4 weeks. However, special care needs to be taken of these infants because they are at a great risk of being eaten by predators such as the wolves, the badgers, the weasels, the wild boars and the rats. These tortoises are mainly herbivores and love to eat green leaves, grasses and juicy fruits. They prefer to live in dry, warm and sunny places. Nevertheless, they hide in shrubs and grass patches when they face extreme heat, during the day time. In extremely cold winters, they live underground in order to stay safe. It is during this cold season that they prefer to hibernate. And when they do, their heart beat slows down and their breathing rate goes below the normal. It is however, important to make sure that the tortoise is healthy before it hibernates. An unhealthy tortoise may die during the hibernation process. Hence, if taken proper care of, the Herman tortoises can live for more than a 75 years.
However, these slow movers are decreasing in number because quite a lot of their natural habitat has been lost in the recent years because of urbanization. As such, efforts are being made by animal lovers and wild life sanctuaries to preserve the Herman tortoise species.