Hi Steemit family!

These animals that seem to have been encapsulated in the time of the dinosaurs are very friendly and very docile, today I will talk about a turtle called Angonoka or Radiated Tortoises that has a beautiful shell design that makes it very attractive and eye-catching. Come with me to discover this interesting animal.

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Its most outstanding feature is the radiant design that has its shell and some protuberances in it's a central part that comes out as if it were a plow system for the earth, which are actually used in battles held by males in the mating season.

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There are some differences in color from one specimen to another, some have the skin of the head of a brown tone others may have black skin or even yellow spots. It has a fairly strong jaw and pointed, and generally is very robust with large scales that adorn their legs.

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Its shell is more convex than other species of turtles, and they have a nice hexagonal design and have a color between black and yellow, in total has eleven marginal on the shell. And I can not fail to mention his natural plow device that is located between his front legs. Its color is varied, but as the years go by it ends up being darker in color than when it is young.

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Among the radiated turtles there is a series difference of size or sexual dimorphism, being the females smaller than the males that possess a shell more robust and colorful, as in other species of turtles also it is possible to know of which sex they are by means of an inspection to the plastron, the males possess a hollow plastron while the females possess a totally flat one.

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Females can have the following dimensions 30 cm long in their shell and a maximum weight of 12 kg, while males can reach about 50 cm long in their shell and weigh about 18 kg, this species a little different from other turtles is totally endemic to Madagascar and is located in the northwest of the island, their preferred habitat is placed with abundant vegetation especially if it is bamboo and large flat areas.

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As for reproduction, we find that this turtle reaches sexual maturity at 15 years of age, these animals are considered as one of the most difficult to reach sexual maturity the main reason is its very slow growth and metabolism, turtles, in general, are animals that can live more than 100 years.

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The period of reproduction goes from January until the end of May, where the female can place a maximum of 6 eggs that deposited in a hole deep enough to protect the eggs from any predator, usually choose bamboo forests or a place close to a tree.
Their diet is based on the consumption of herbs and grasses, or some bamboo shoots that fall to the ground, although they do not always eat meat, at times they usually consume meat in this decomposition and some feces of wild animals.

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Due to its strange and uncommon shape in front of other turtles, the Radiated tortoises are frequently hunted to be sold on the black market for exotic pets, this has threatened the species for decades, leaving a very small number of them.
Special sites are currently being built for its care and preservation, it would be a shame to lose such a peculiar species just for the foolish desires of some humans who want to have wild animals as pets.