Madagascar Spider Tortoise

ANIMAL:
Madagascar Spider Tortoise Pyxis arachnoides

Type of Animal:
Tortoise

Habitat:
Spiny forest, dry/semidry forest, sandy spiny vegetation areas, dry woodland, sand dunes, brushland

Location(s):
SW & S Madagascar

Appearance:
All 3 subspecies have small heads, oblong highly curved carapaces (upper shells) widening towards rear, males have longer tails than females, & spiderweb like pattern on carapace, Common Spider Tortoise (largest subspecies)-cream shell w/ outward extending black pattern, older individuals have less patterning-often being uniform cream/tan color, dark brown/black on top of head, yellow facial area/chin/neck, tan/yellow plastron (bottom shell), Northern subspecies smallest similar to common but plastron lacks hinge, Southern subspecies has black markings on plastron, juveniles darker than adults

Food/Diet:
Grasses, leaves, greens, cactus pads, succulents, roots, vegetables, mushrooms, berries, fruit, insects, insect larvae, cow dung, carrion

Status in Wild:
Critically Endangered

Conservation:
Breeding in zoos & breeding centers

Lifestyle:
Solitary

Additional Info:

Called:
Male
Female
Young: Hatchling
Group: Solitary

Weight:
Male: 7 oz
Female: 14 oz
 
Gestation:
8 months 

Life Span:
70 years

Body Length:
Male: 4.5 in
Female: 5 in
Young: 2 in

Tail Length:
Male: Longer/Thicker
Female: Shorter

Main predators are Malagasy carnivores, raptors, snakes, dogs, cats, & pigs.
 
Critically endangered due to pet trade, habitat loss, charcoal demand, deforestation, agriculture, poaching for meat/body parts/eggs, fires, slow reproductive rate, & invasive plants.
 
Sexually mature at 6 years old.
 
Females only lay 1 egg per clutch & lay up to 3 times a year.
 
Smallest tortoise in Madagascar.
 
Often estivate/brumate in much of longer dry season (especially on cooler nights & when really hot).
 
Most active in shorter wet season.
 
Most active at dawn & dusk (crepuscular).
 
Get name from web-like pattern on shell.
 
There are less than 5,000 of these tortoises remaining in the wild.

Fun Fact(s):
Heavily trafficked, w/ 1 trader in 2001 placing single order for 10,000 tortoises.
 
Young often remain in diapause (stasis w/o development) in egg until favorable conditions reached.
 
Sometimes seen in burrows w/ much larger Radiated Tortoises. Usually only 1 spider tortoise per burrow but radiateds often share burrows.