| Three species of hinge-back tortoises ( (Kinixys belliana nogueyi, Kinixys erosa, Kinixys homeana) are found in simpatry in the rainforests of the Niger Delta, southern Nigeria (west Africa). The seasonal activity patterns and food habits of these tortoises are studied in the present paper. K. erosa and K. homeana have similar activity patterns, with peaks occurring during the wet season. Kinixys belliana was found only during the wet months. There was no evidence of any specific effect of humidity of the air on their activity intensity, and it seems likely that, more than absolute values of air humidity, the crucial factor to force tortoises into high activity is the sudden change between dry days and very wet days at the onset of the rainy season (end of... |
