The Egyptian dwarf tortoise is often referred to simply as Egyptian tortoise and its scientific name is Testudo kleinmanni. The Egyptian dwarf tortoise is listed as Critically Endangered in the 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. This means that the wild Egyptian tortoise population is considered to be facing an extremely high risk of extinction.

Egyptian dwarf tortoise – Critically Endangered
The Egyptian dwarf tortoise has been listed as Endangered in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species since 1996, but has now been moved to the Critically Endangered group. This is not exclusively a result of true population decline; it is partly due to taxonomic reasons. The population of Egyptian dwarf tortoise that lives east of the Nile delta in Egypt and in Israel was recently recognized as a separate species, Testudo werneri. This new classification naturally had a large impact on the number of Testudo kleinmanni tortoises.

Egyptian dwarf tortoise – Red List History
The Egyptian dwarf tortoise has been included in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species since 1982. It was first listed in the Indeterminate, but moved to the Vulnerable group in 1988. It remained in this group during the 1990 and 1994 versions of the list, but was placed in the Endangered group in 1996. 

Egyptian dwarf tortoise – Habitat loss
The Egyptian dwarf tortoise is threatened by several contributing factors. Habitat loss is one of the major problems. In the Egyptian dwarf tortoise range, habitat loss is caused mainly by agricultural expansion, ground water extraction and infrastructure development. The agricultural expansion is caused by small scale farming as well as large scale commercial farming. Crop growing as well as livestock raising affect the Egyptian dwarf tortoise habitat. Infrastructural development caters for the needs of human settlements, industries, tourism and transportations. New roads and more motorized vehicles in the Egyptian dwarf tortoise habitat also lead to an increased number of collisions between Egyptian dwarf tortoises and vehicles. Habitat loss is also closely linked to general human disturbance of the species. 

Egyptian dwarf tortoise – Ecology
Changes in species dynamics and the introduction of non-native species, especially predators, is also a large problem for the remaining Egyptian dwarf tortoises. These changes often go hand in hand with the alterations described above, such as growing human settlements. Comparatively insignificant changes in the Egyptian dwarf tortoise habitat can lead to dire and unforeseen consequences. Telegraph poles and electricity pylons that were put up in an area where Egyptian dwarf tortoises lived turned out to be highly appreciated by Brown-necked ravens that used them as ideal nesting places. This caused the Brown-necked raven population to increase, which in turn affected the Egyptian dwarf tortoise population since ravens prey on juvenile as well as adult Egyptian dwarf tortoises.

Egyptian dwarf tortoise – Pet trade
The national and international pet trade is a third problem for the Egyptian dwarf tortoise and vast amounts of the diminishing Egyptian dwarf tortoise population are captured each year to become domestic pets or exported to other countries. The Egyptian dwarf tortoise is protected by CITES (The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora), but the illegal pet trade still continues. You can help to prevent the extinction of the Egyptian dwarf tortoise by never purchasing wild caught specimens. You should also be vigilant when purchasing other small tortoises, since some pet shops sell Egyptian dwarf tortoises under the wrong name.

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Egyptian Tortoise Care