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Chersina Angulata Working Group
is a group of dedicated and passionate professionals working together to...
- Develop comprehensive captive care guidelines for private and institutional collections.
- Build a viable captive bred generation within the United States.
- Provide scientific research, case studies, care regimens and incubation strategies.
- Track group progress in a North American Regional Studbook.
You will notice, while enjoying the photography on this site, that the Bowsprit Tortoise can display drastically different cosmetic features. Though these are all Chersina angulata, 2 disparate DNA clades exists between Southern and Western populations accounting for some of the variance.
The CAWG currently maintains a colony of 27 bowsprit tortoises in 4 separate and climatically diverse locations. Each of the 4 locations has at least one adult pair capable of breeding. Updates as to husbandry, breeding activity, nesting and incubation, and hatchlings are provided regularly on the Tortoise Forums Bowsprit Section. You can also ask questions and interact with the members of the CAWG on the Tortoise Forum.
Photo by Jim Barzyk
Research
Research
Natural range and locale specific morphological differences
Distribution. — Chersina angulata is endemic to Southern Africa; occurring mainly within South Africa (around 90%) and extends into extreme southwestern Namibia. In South Africa, the species occurs from East London in the Eastern Cape Province, westwards through most of the Western Cape Province, into the western region of the Northern Cape Province (Hofmeyr 2009). Its range extends across the Orange River into Namibia, where it is found in the Sperrgebiet and surroundings, possibly as far north as Lüderitz and Aus (Griffen 2003). The species occurs on several offshore islands, and reaches high densities on Dassen and Robben islands off the southwestern coast of South Africa (Hofmeyr 2009).
Habitat. — Angulate tortoises occur from the coastal plains to altitudes of approximately 3500 ft, but do not extend into central southern Africa. They live in dry regions (annual rainfall < 4" to 24 ") though annual rainfall along the south coast can exceed 4 feet in some areas. Western winters are wet while southern rainfall is not seasonal. Temperatures are mild to very hot in summer, with no or little frost in winter, except at high altitudes. The species’ range covers several biomes such as Fynbos, Albany Thicket, Succulent Karoo, and Nama Karoo.
A Western Cape Specimen. Photo by Jim Barzyk
MORPHOLOGICAL DIFFERENCES
It is important when developing care regimens for captive animals to locate the origin of the animal as environmental characteristics can vary significantly over the large natural range of Chersina angulata.
Range Data
PRIMARY RANGE
Pictured here are the two primary geographic regions in which Chersina are naturally occurring. In addition, there is a large community (>5,000) on Dassen Island off the Western Coast. Here is a great video clip on Dassen Island.
WESTERN CAPE
Varying greatly in appearance even within the Western range, angulates can display red throughout the shell. Notice the large gular protrusion or "bow" on this male.
SOUTHERN CAPE
This image shows a classic shell coloration defining the appearance of Chersina angulata.
DASSEN ISLAND
Notable cosmetic features include a larger overall size, elongated carapace and a more blonde coloration (less red).
Publications
Here are some important publications on Chersina angulata
Publications
Here are some important publications on Chersina angulata
Research
Angulate Tortoise (Hofmeyr)
Overcoming Environmental and Morphological Constraints (Hofmeyr, Henen, Loehr)
Sexual disparity in activity patterns and time budgets of angulate tortoises (Chersina angulata) on Dassen Island, South Africa (Henen, Keswick, Hofmeyr)
Articles by our Founders
Other Native Tortoises
The ecology of the world's smallest tortoise, Homopus signatus signatus: effects of rainfall (Victor J.T. Loehr)
Photo Gallery
Photo Gallery
Photo by Gergő Gurics
Photo by Gergő Gurics
Photo by Gergő Gurics
Photo by Gergő Gurics
Photo by Steven Barker - Two adult Female Bowsprit Tortoises
Photo by Steven Barker
Photo by Steven Barker
Photo by Dan Sterantino
Photo by Diane Brooks
Our Team
Our Team
Dan Sterantino dan@sterantino.com
Dan is the Director of the Chersina Angulata Working Group, The Director of the Ploughshare Project , and the Studbook Keeper for the North American Regional Chersina angulata studbook. Dan is also a Field Associate in Herpetology of the AZA accredited Trevor Zoo in Millbrook, NY. Dan is a member of the Turtle Survival Alliance, The Turtle Conservancy, The Association of Zoos and Aquariums, The American Association for the Advancement of Science and held a Board position at the Tortoise Trust from 1999 to 2004. Dan's private tortoise facility is an Affiliated Offsite Facility of the Trevor Zoo.
Dr. Dwight Lawson
Dr. Lawson is a co-founder of the CAWG, has a PhD in Quantitative Biology from the University of Texas at Arlington and is the CEO of the Oklahoma City Zoo in Oklahoma City, OK. His interest in reptiles began when he was a child. He is a member of several reptile conservation organizations and has also worked closely with the Association of Zoos and Aquariums during his career.
Chris Leone
Chris Leone is a co-founder of the CAWG, owner/operator of Garden State Tortoise LLC and has successfully kept and bred over 50 species/subspecies of turtles and tortoises for more than twenty years. He is the Director of Animal Husbandry for theTurtleRoom.com. He is a member of the Turtle and Tortoise Preservation Group, The Turtle Survival Alliance, The Association of Zoos & Aquariums and is in close contact with many chelonian organizations world wide. In recent years, Chris was awarded "Chelonia Breeder of the Year" by the Reptile Report."
Tom Roach
Tom is a co-founder of the CAWG and has been working with tortoises since 1986. Tom is a regular (prolific actually) contributor to The Tortoise Forum and keeps and breeds many species of tortoise. Professionally, Tom is a film-industry animal trainer providing highly trained animal actors to thousands of Feature films, TV shows, commercials and other media outlets.
Jonathan Gray
Jonathan has been maintaining and breeding numerous species of turtles and tortoises for over fifty years. He has done field work on the Galapagos islands and most recently has had success breeding the endangered Vietnamese Box Turtle, Cuora (Pyxidea) mouhotii. Jonathan is an advisor and assistant keeper with the Chersina Angulata Working Group and a contributor to The Tortoise Forum.
Dr. William H. Zovickian
Dr. Zovickian is one of the worlds foremost tortoise experts and maintained a group of angulate tortoises as far back as 1977. Dr. Zovickian has accomplishments and accolades too numerous to list here. He is a co-founder and Director of Husbandry for the Ploughshare Project and a Senior Advisor to the Chersina Angulata Working Group.
Kingsley Rodrigo
Kingsley is a co-founder of the Chersina Angulata Working Group and has successfully bred Chersina angulata. A native of Sri Lanka, Kingsley is also very involved with Sri Lankan conservation initiatives and holds particular interest in the conservation of the Sri Lankan Star Tortoise. He takes annual trips to Sri Lanka and supports many conservation activities. Kingsley is also a regular contributor to The Tortoise Forum.
