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The red-footed tortoise (''Chelonoidis carbonaria'') is a species of tortoises from northern South America. These medium-sized tortoises generally average as adults, but can reach over . They have dark-colored, loaf-shaped carapaces (back shell) with a lighter patch in the middle of each scute (scales on the shell), and dark limbs with brightly colored scales that range from pale yellow to dark red. Recognized differences are seen between red-footed tortoises from different regions. They are closely related to the yellow-footed tortoise (''C. denticulata'') from the Amazon Basin. They are popularly kept as pets, and over-collection has caused them to be vulnerable to extinction. Their natural habitat ranges from savannah to forest edges around the Amazon Basin. They are omnivorous with a diet based on a wide assortment of plants, mostly fruit when available, but also including grasses, flowers, fungi, carrion, and invertebrates. They do not brumate, but may aestivate in hot, dry weather. Eggs, hatchlings, and young tortoises are food for many predators, but the main threats for adults are jaguars and humans. Population density ranges from locally common to very scarce due in part to habitat destruction and over-collection for food and the pet trade. == Taxonomy == Red-footed tortoises have many common names: red-leg, red-legged, or red-foot tortoise (often without the hyphen) and the savanna tortoise, as well as local names, such as ''carumbe'' or ''karumbe'', which means 'slow moving' (Brazil, Paraguay), ''wayapopi'' or ''morrocoy'' (Venezuela, Colombia), and variations of ''jabuti'' such as ''japuta'' and ''jabuti-piranga'' (Brazil, Argentina).〔 p. 27-29.〕 All turtles and tortoises were originally assigned to the genus ''Testudo'' (named by Carl Linnaeus in 1758) for a short time, but it soon became the term for turtles with high-domed shells, elephantine legs, and completely terrestrial habits—the tortoises. In 1835, Leopold Fitzinger used ''Geochelone'' to differentiate some non-Mediterranean tortoises, apparently based on size and lack of specific identifying characteristics such as the hinged shell in the African hingeback tortoises. He used the term ''Chelonoidis'' as a subgenus for the species from South America. Few people used these terms until they were resurrected by Hewitt in 1933 and Loveridge and Williams in 1957. In 1982, Roger Bour and Charles Crumly each separated ''Geochelone'' into different genera based on anatomic differences, especially in the skulls. That resulted in the formation or restoration of several genera: ''Aldabrachelys'', ''Astrochelys'', ''Cylindraspis'', ''Indotestudo'', ''Manouria'', and ''Chelonoidis''. ''Chelonoidis'' was distinguished from other ''Geochelone'' by their South American location, as well as the absence of the nuchal scute (the marginal centered over the neck) and the presence of a large, undivided supracaudal (the scute or scutes directly over the tail), as well as differences in the skull. Many of these generic names are still debated; for example, no specific definition of ''Geochelone'' is given, and ''Chelonoidis'' is primarily used for geography rather than unique anatomic characteristics.〔〔 , p. 204.〕 The species name ''carbonaria'' means 'coal-like' referring to a dark coal with glowing patches. It was originally identified by Johann Baptist von Spix in 1824. The holotype was kept in the Zoologischen Sammlung des Bayerischen Staates in Munich, Germany, but was lost. Paulo Vanzolini believes it may have come from near the city of Manaus, Brazil, on the Rio Negro. No subspecies of red-footed tortoise are recognized, although many believe the species has five or more variants that may be subspecies or even separate species.〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Red-footed tortoise」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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