The Texas tortoise is a species of tortoise in the family Testudinidae. The species G. berlandieri is one of six species of tortoises that are native to North America.
Texas tortoise
Texas tortoise (Gopherus berlandieri), Val Verde Co, Texas, USA (2005).
Gopherus berlandieri, Bee Co. Texas, USA (June 2011).
Gopherus berlandieri, Bee Co. Texas, USA (2011).
Tortoises are reptiles of the family Testudinidae of the order Testudines. Like other turtles, tortoises have a shell to protect from predation and other threats. The shell in tortoises is generally hard, and like other members of the suborder Cryptodira, they retract their necks and heads directly backward into the shell to protect them.
Tortoise
Tile with two rabbits, two snakes, and a tortoise, illustration for Zakariya al-Qazwini's book ʿAjāʾib al-makhlūqāt, Iran, 19th century.
Tortoise in art a traditional lock at Swayambhunath, Kathmandu
Adult male leopard tortoise, South Africa