Home's hinge-back tortoise

Home's hinge-back tortoise (Kinixys homeana) is a species of tortoise in the family Testudinidae. The species is endemic to Africa.

Home's hinge-back tortoise
In Kakum National Park, Ghana
Conservation status
Vulnerable  (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Order:	Testudines
Suborder:	Cryptodira
Superfamily:	Testudinoidea
Family:	Testudinidae
Genus:	Kinixys
Species:	K. homeana
Binomial name
Kinixys homeana Bell, 1827
Synonyms[1]
Kinixys homeana Bell, 1827 Cinixys homeana — Wagler, 1830 Testudo (Kinyxis) homeana — Gray, 1831 Kinixys belliana homeana — Nutaphand, 1979

Etymology

The specific name, homeana, is in honor of English surgeon and naturalist Everard Home.[2]

Geographic range

K. homeana is found in Benin, Cameroon, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ivory Coast, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Ghana, Guinea, Liberia, Nigeria, and possibly Togo.

Habitat

The natural habitats of Home's hinge-back tortoise are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests, subtropical or tropical swamps, and plantations.

Ecology and life history

Home's hinge-back is naturally attracted to red or pink flowers. It prefers low light and often moves in early morning or dusk, preferring to stay hidden the rest of the day.

Diet

In captivity the diet of K. homeana may include, banana, guava, watermelon, black mushrooms, cooked sweet potato, cooked potato, and cooked or raw squash, and sources of animal protein such as earthworms, mealworms, crickets, snails and fish.[3]

Conservation status

K. homeana is threatened by habitat loss.

References

1. Fritz, Uwe; Havaš, Peter (2007). "Checklist of Chelonians of the World" (PDF). Vertebrate Zoology. 57 (2): 286. ISSN 1864-5755. Archived from the original (PDF) on 17 December 2010. Retrieved 29 May 2012.
2. Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2011). The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. ISBN 978-1-4214-0135-5. (Kinixys homeana, p. 125).
3. Hasenstab, Sara, New at the Zoo: Home’s Hinge-back Tortoises, National Zoological Park (United States), retrieved August 4, 2019

External links

• Luiselli L, Politano E, Lea J (2005). Kinixys homeana. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Downloaded on 29 July 2007.
• Reptile Magazine
• Tortoisetrust.org
• Turtle Rescue of Long Island

Further reading

• Bell T (1827). "On two new Genera of Land Tortoises". Trans. Linnean Soc. London 15: 392-401 + Plates XVI-XVII. (Kinixys, new genus, p. 398; K. homeana, new species, pp. 400-401 + Plate XVII, figure 2). (in English and Latin).
• Boulenger GA (1889). Catalogue of the Chelonians, Rhynchocephalians, and Crocodiles in the British Museum (Natural History). New Edition. London: Trustees of the British Museum (Natural History). (Taylor and Francis, printers). x + 311 pp. + Plates I-VI. (Cinixys homeana, p. 143).