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Distribution

Hermann’s tortoise occupies the Mediterranean regions of southern Europe, from Catalonia in Spain in the west to the east Turkey.


Life_tortue_hermann_10_repartition.jpg
Global distribution area of the species (from La Tortue d’Hermann, Ed. D’Orbestier, 2009)

The species is in sharp decline throughout its range, particularly in Italy, France and Spain, where it has no more than isolated populations which are in critical situation.

Hermann’s Tortoise is the France’s only tortoise. His presence is attested by fossils from about 1.8 million years.


Its current distribution is limited and fragmented. His last refuge in France are limited to two cores populations, a relatively small Provençal core and a core slightly larger in Corsica.

Var and in particular the Plaine des Maures, massif des Maures, massif de la Colle du Rouet and tray-Gonfaron Flassans-sur-Issole support the latest core population of mainland France.
The core of Albères in the Pyrenees-Orientales was extincted in 1960.
The Corsican core occupies mainly the south, in particular in coastal areas and the center of the island.

Life_tortue_hermann_79_Repartition_france.jpg
Distribution in France (from the "Plan National d’Actions en faveur de la Tortue d’Hermann",2009).

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