Tortue d'Hermann

Thermoregulation: like all cold-blooded tortoise species (ectothermic) they must adapt their metabolism to ambient temperature in order to have optimal activity. In cold periods, they seek to protect themselves from the cold. If it is too hot, they must absolutely put themselves in the shade. This behavior therefore varies depending on the time of day and the season. Seasonal hormonal variations are also observed (serotonin and melatonin), and changes in blood composition in this species. In nature, they can travel long distances to drink regularly (approximately every 2 weeks during warm periods). The thermoregulatory behavior of this species differs from that of Testudo marginata. Early in the morning, they leave their night shelter (which they change every day) as soon as they are warmed up and set out in search of food, leaves, flowers, fruits, sometimes snails and worms. At noon, with the sun high, they cool off in bushes and come out again at the end of the day. Equipped with an excellent sense of direction, they orient themselves perfectly in space thanks to the earth's magnetic field and the sun, and probably thanks to excellent sense of smell and memory of their environment. At the end of the day, they leave their shelter to feed again. Tortoises are attached to their place of life (philopatry), which is why they will constantly try to return if moved away (collection). Some that survived the 2003 fires were observed returning to their place of life or continuing to frequent it despite its devastation (during the fire they were on the riverbank, or in fire-spared areas).