Testudo graeca
Silhouette: PhyloPic
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~40%
The Greek tortoise (Testudo graeca), also known commonly as the Moorish tortoise and the spur-thighed tortoise, is a species of tortoise in the family Testudinidae. The species is a medium-sized herbivorous testudinid, widely distributed in the Mediterranean region.
T. graeca is recognized for its longevity, with verified lifespans exceeding 100 years and anecdotal reports suggesting ages over 125 years. Among reptiles, it has one of the largest known genomes. The geographic distribution of the Greek tortoise (Testudo graeca) includes North Africa, Southern Europe, and Southwest Asia. It is commonly found along the Black Sea coast of the Caucasus, extending from Anapa, Russia, to Sukhumi, Abkhazia, Georgia. Additional populations are present in parts of Georgia, Armenia, Iran, and Azerbaijan.
The oldest confirmed fossil attributed to Testudo graeca originates from the Early Pliocene of Greece. However, fossils tentatively identified as Testudo cf. graeca have also been reported from the Middle and Late Miocene of Greece and Turkey, suggesting a more ancient and geographically diverse origin.
The Greek tortoise (Testudo graeca... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Doñana National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain |
More parks will be added in future updates.
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pairi Daiza | 🇧🇪 Belgium | |
| 2 | Zoo Pilsen | 🇨🇿 Czechia | |
| 3 | Parc Phœnix | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 4 | Chomutov Zoo | 🇨🇿 Czechia | |
| 5 | Zoologic park de Lille | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 6 | La Tanière | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 7 | Civic Aquarium of Milan | 🇮🇹 Italy | |
| 8 | Al Ain Zoo | 🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates | |
| 9 | Taipei Zoo | 🇹🇼 Taiwan | |
| 10 | Parc du Belvédère | 🇹🇳 Tunisia | |
| 11 | Kadoorie Farm and Botanic Garden | 🇭🇰 Hong Kong SAR China | |
| 12 | Parc zoologique de Montpellier | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 13 | Doha Zoo | 🇶🇦 Qatar | |
| 14 | 江苏淹城野生动物世界 | 🇨🇳 China | |
| 15 | Rabat Zoo | 🇲🇦 Morocco | |
| 16 | Marwell Zoo | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 17 | Leofoo Village Theme Park | 🇹🇼 Taiwan | |
| 18 | Louisville Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 19 | Yaroslavl Zoo | 🇷🇺 Russia | |
| 20 | Yerevan Zoo | 🇦🇲 Armenia | |
| 21 | Friguia Park | 🇹🇳 Tunisia | |
| 22 | Dream Village | 🇲🇦 Morocco | |
| 23 | San Francisco Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 24 | Twycross Zoo | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 25 | Parc zoologique de Plaisance du Touch | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 26 | Carmel Hai-Bar Nature Reserve | 🇮🇱 Israel | |
| 27 | Parc de l'Auxois | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 28 | Explorer Village | 🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates | |
| 29 | Houston Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 30 | Zoo Opole | 🇵🇱 Poland | |
| 31 | Potter Park Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 32 | Forestry Farm Park and Zoo | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 33 | Malaz Zoo | 🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia | |
| 34 | Hertfordshire Zoo | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 35 | African Village | 🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates | |
| 36 | Turtle Back Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 37 | Taşkent Doğa Parkı | 🇨🇾 Cyprus | |
| 38 | Río Safari Elche | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 39 | Parc animalier de Courzieu | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 40 | Red deer breeding center | 🇦🇲 Armenia | |
| 41 | Le Cornelle | 🇮🇹 Italy | |
| 42 | Paphos Zoo | 🇨🇾 Cyprus | |
| 43 | Baku Zoo | 🇦🇿 Azerbaijan | |
| 44 | Parco Zoo Punta Verde | 🇮🇹 Italy | |
| 45 | L'Oceanogràfic | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 46 | Touroparc Zoo | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 47 | Lobo Park | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 48 | Centro Recupero per la Fauna Selvatica di Asti | 🇮🇹 Italy | |
| 49 | Jardin zoologique de Marseille | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 50 | Palmitos Park | 🇪🇸 Spain |
No species of the same family or order lives in Doñana National Park, so these are its closest relatives here: other reptiles.
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Greek Tortoise sighting in Doñana National Park on a given day, based on 9 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 13th most-seen of the 14 reptiles we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 40%, if each day is a fresh chance.
November
In that month about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Greek Tortoise in Doñana National Park on a given day, against under 5% in May, July–October and December–February, the lowest months. That is one of Doñana National Park's wettest months, with about 65 mm of rain against almost none in July.
Between 10 am and 1 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Greek Tortoise sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Only Doñana National Park, in our data
Doñana National Park is the only park on Wallace's Line with enough records to rate Greek Tortoise sightings: about 10% of wildlife watchers there report one on a given day.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Greek Tortoise is recorded against all the reptiles logged in Doñana National Park (9 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
