Impressed Tortoise

About the Impressed Tortoise

The impressed tortoise (Manouria impressa) is a species of tortoise. It occurs in mountainous forest areas in Southeast Asia, mainly in Myanmar Burma, southern China, Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia, Malaysia and Northeast India.

The tortoise species received its name due to the shape and style of the scutes of the carapace. The scutes are concaved or "impressed", which appear similar to stamps. The species has a golden brown to dark brown shells. Their skin is usually a paler yellow and may have pinkish noses. Adults are much smaller than their relatives the Asian forest tortoise (Manouria emys), with a maximum carapace length of 35 cm (14 in).

The impressed tortoise lives at high elevations, up to 2,000 m (6,600 ft). The non-territorial species have a relatively sedentary lifestyle with space usage and movement heavily influenced by seasonal conditions and resource availability. Despite a stationary life, the tortoises are most active in environments at temperatures between 12-30 degrees Celsius and 60-100% humidity.

These animals may also play a vital role in their environment by indirectly spreading fungi spores through defication. Wikipedia →