• A varied selection of recent articles, stories and sites on the Web that is compiled by Michael J. Connor, Ph.D.
  • The links are listed as published in the relevant issue of the Tortuga Gazette.
  • Please note that all links were functioning when posted. My apologies if any are no longer available. Disabled links are present for informational purposes.

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Tortuga Gazette 49(1) | January/February 2013

Reviving the Pinta Island Tortoise
With the demise of Lonesome George, plans are afoot to capture the 17 tortoises on Isabella Island identified as Pinta Island tortoise hybrids to try to breed back the species.

Tortoise Celebrates 130th Birthday
Thomas, a blitz-surviving pet tortoise, may be 130 years old.

Gallipoli Tortoise
Brought back in a soldier’s kitbag 96 years ago, Blake the tortoise has outlived another owner.

Multiple Paternity in Tortoises
Italian biologists study sperm storage in Hermann’s Tortoises.

Turtle Paleontology Video
World’s oldest turtle fossil could bridge evolutionary gap.

Leatherback Sea Turtle Now Official Marine Reptile
The California legislature has anointed the endangered leatherback sea turtle as California’s official marine reptile.

Tortuga Gazette 49(2) | March/April 2013

Superbowl Tortoise
49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick grew up with a sulcata named Sammy.

Tortoise Endangers Dog
A man-bites-dog story of a labrador pup trapped in a tortoise burrow!

Tortoise Lost in House for 30 years
I have my doubts about this widely covered story of a redfoot tortoise surviving 30 years on termites...

Turtle Video-of-the-Month
Unusual interaction between a hawksbill sea turtle and a diver.

Loggerhead Sea Turtle Lawsuit
Federal agencies sued to designate critical habitat for imperiled loggerheads.

Desert Tortoise Conservation Center Stops Taking Tortoises
After two decades, the Las Vegas center will stop taking in desert tortoises and may close.

Tortuga Gazette 49(3) | May/June 2013

First Turtle Genome Published
Bradley Shaffer and his colleagues have sequenced the genome of the western painted turtle.

Loggerhead Sea Turtle to get Critical Habitat
35 years after the loggerhead sea turtle was listed under the Endangered Species Act, federal agencies are proposing to designate nesting beaches as critical habitat in the Carolinas, Georgia, Florida and the Gulf.

Leatherback Sea Turtles Declininng
Pacific leatherback turtle populations continue to show steep declines.

Galápagos Tortoise Migrations
Galápagos tortoises on Santa Cruz show clear seasonal movements.

Lonesome George in New York
Lonesome George’s remains were flown to New York for mounting.

Smuggler Had 13% of the Known Plowshare Tortoise Population in His Bags
The California legislature has anointed the endangered leatherback sea turtle as California’s official marine reptile.

Drunken Idiot Steals Aldabra Tortoise and Sells it on Facebook
Stolen Woburn Safari Park tortoise was recovered after the thief sold it on Facebook.

CITES Acts to Limit Turtle & Tortoise Trade

Three United States species added to Appendix II
The latest Conference of the Parties to CITES added the spotted turtle, Blanding’s turtle and the diamond back terrapin to Appendix II.

Chinese conservation proposals And there was encouraging news for chelonian conservation with multiple proposals from China.