Indian Star Tortoise - Leo The Wildlife Ranger Minisode #144

Hi, everybody. My name is Leo. I am a junior ranger, and this is my puppy, Hero. Let's play soccer, Hero. Get the ball! Hey, where could it be? I saw the ball going in this direction. Did you find it, Hero? Hey, that's not my football. It's hard and smooth. It looks like a turtle. What a pretty shawl you have. I wonder what kind of turtle you are. You know what we should do? Let's take a photo and send it to my sister, Katie. She is also a junior ranger. Smile, Mr. Turtle. Hi, Katie. Did you find anything? Hi, Leo. This tortoise is an Indian star tortoise. That's a very suitable name for this animal. The Indian star tortoise comes from India, Sri Lanka, and parts of Pakistan. And, as you have noticed, the Indian star tortoise has star-like markings on its round shell. They look amazing, but what are those markings for? With the star-like markings on its shell, this tortoise can hide very well among grasses or plants. Their hard shells help to protect them, but they are still preyed upon by large birds and reptiles such as snakes. So, Indian star tortoises have to hide themselves well from these sharp predators. Indian star tortoises normally live in dry scrub forests or grasslands. They can hide much better there. These places also provide the right kind of food for them, like grasses, flowers, and fallen fruit. Then we have to bring this Indian star tortoise back home, where it can hide and find the right food to eat. Come and join us. That's a great idea, Leo. See you downstairs. Come on, guys. Let's continue on foot. Look, Leo. There is a man over there. What is he doing? Hey, he picked up an Indian star tortoise. Why is he running? Maybe he's an illegal pet trader hunting for Indian star tortoises. So he might take the poor tortoise to another country and sell it. Hero, wait for us. There are so many Indian star tortoises here. I hope they're all right. Don't worry, Leo. A tortoise will protect itself from getting hurt by hiding in its shell. Luckily, these tortoises are unharmed from the fall. Phew, let's put them back into the container carefully. Enjoy the sun and the grass, little ones. We did it. We found a home for the Indian star tortoises. Great work, everyone. We found an Indian star tortoise in our garden. We learned that Indian star tortoises like to live in dry and warm places and that the star patterns on their shells help them hide in grass. So we found a nice home for the tortoise where it can enjoy the sunlight with other Indian star tortoises. Good job, children. You did it. You are amazing wildlife rangers.