Sicilian Solitude Tortoise

The genus name Solitudo comes from Latin solitudo, meaning “solitude” or “loneliness,” reflecting the isolated islands where these tortoises lived. The suffix -tudo also alludes to the classic tortoise genus Testudo, indicating morphological similarities.

Solitudo sicula is distinguished by the other species of the genus by having trochanters that are at the same height as the femoral head, additionally, the femoral head is also more elliptical than in more derived Solitudo species. The entire femur of Solitudo sicula measures 104 mm (4.1 in) long, which is notably larger than that of the biggest extant tortoise of Europe, the Marginated tortoise. Assuming similar proportions, this would mean that Solitudo sicula may have reached a straight carapace length of 50–60 cm (20–24 in).

You can't remove a turtle out of its shell because the shell is an integral part of the animal; it's as if they were wearing their bones on the outside of their body. Turtles figured out a really good technique to keep their insides safe, which is why they have shells. They began as large rib bones and expanded from there.

Solitudo was terrestrial and not suited for swimming, just like all real tortoises (family Testudinidae), which are land animals rather than aquatic turtles. They probably travel slowly but steadily on land, just as other giant tortoises. There is no concrete proof that they could swim; giant tortoises often have poor swimming abilities. Solitudo's carapace serves as a defense against predators (general tortoise biology applies).

In Rapunzel's universe, every species of Solitudo throw sand at the opponent using its mouth or legs causes attacks to miss, and can deflect projectile attacks and coated with dirt and sand.

Solitudo tortoises inhabit the habitats of Mediterranean islands with rich Pliocene–Holocene islands, such as Sicily, Menorca, and Malta. Like other huge tortoises around the world, this one probably fed on sparse vegetation. It coexisted alongside giant swans, tiny elephants, and other unusual island animals.

Reproduction

While specific Solitudo nests are rare, fossilized eggs from the Balearic Islands suggest they laid hard-shelled, spherical eggs in shallow pits. Like modern large tortoises, they likely had long lifespans (potentially 100+ years) and slow reproductive cycles.

• Exactly reproductive behavior is unknown for this genus due to limited fossils.

• Inferences from modern tortoises: terrestrial egg-laying, slow maturity, long lifespan.

Conclusions drawn from the fact that modern tortoises lay eggs on land, mature slowly, live long lives, and exhibit behavior that is probably comparable to that of other herbivorous tortoises: solitary, slow-moving, diurnal grazing. Due to the lack of natural predators on islands, Solitudo would have been submissive and unafraid of people based on contemporary giant tortoises. Unfortunately, their "island tameness" made them easy pickings.

Only in our and Rapunzel's universes (World-001), but not in Wirt and Beatrice's universe (World-002). Solitudo was likely caused by a combination of factors typical for insular megafauna:

• Human hunting or disturbance.

• Predation from introduced species.

• Climate changes at the end of the Pleistocene.

• Habitat alteration.

• The youngest species (Solitudo sicula) survived longer than many, disappearing around the start of the Holocene.

One of the two gigantic tortoises known to have survived the Ice Age is Solitudo sicula, which was discovered in Sicily during the Late Pleistocene (~12.5 ka). The tortoise's habitat was Mediterranean islands with sparse vegetation, likely grasslands or open forests, according to this prehistoric timeframe.

• Movement Pattern: Not Migrant

• Individual Type: Solo

• Population Trend: Stable

• Population: 0

• Locomotion: Terrestrial

• Habitat: Temperate Coniferous Forests; Temperate Broadleaf and Mixed Forests; Temperate Deciduous Forests; Temperate Grasslands, Savannas, and Shrublands; Subtropical Coniferous Forests; Subtropical Moist Broadleaf Forests; Subtropical Dry Broadleaf Forests; Subtropical Grasslands, Savannas, and Shrublands; Salt Flats; Stone Forest; Tropical Coniferous Forests; Tropical Moist Broadleaf Forests; Tropical Dry Broadleaf Forests; Tropical Grasslands; Tropical Savannas and Shrublands; Mediterranean Forests, Woodlands, and Scrub; Mushroom Forests; Mushroom Fields; Deserts and Xeric Shrublands; Badlands; Flooded Grasslands and Savannas; Swamp; Bayous/Billabongs; Riparian; Wetland; Mangrove Forest; Cold Bamboo Forests; Tropical Bamboo Forests; Air-breathing Coral Reefs; Graveyard Vale; Mountain.

• Earth: 

  • Extinct: Italy (Sicily)

All species of Solitudo are automatically tamed when hatched from an egg, as the survivor is always within 9 radius of the egg hatching. If the tortoise is somehow not tamed at birth, it can be tamed with a whip, any plant materials, buds, seaweed, or eggshells.

Coming soon

Coming soon

• TBA

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solitudo

• https://www.lyellcollection.org/doi/abs/10.1144/GSL.JGS.1877.033.01-04.11

• https://www.gbif.org/species/8494698

• https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/momo_hirai_1116323?src=t_turtle

• https://www.deviantart.com/ognimdo2002/art/Solitudo-sicula-1183524413