---
title: "Vierteenlandschildpad"
description: "Testudo horsfieldii — Reptielen. The Central Asian tortoise (Testudo horsfieldii), also commonly known as the Afghan tortoise, the steppe tortoise, the Russian tortoise (mainly in the pet trade), Horsfield's tortoise, the four-clawed tortoise, the four-toed tortoise, the Russian steppe tortoise, the Soviet tortoise, is a threatened species of tortoise in the family Testudinidae."
canonical: https://animalchecklist.com/nl/animal/afghan-tortoise
last_updated: 2026-09-20
---

# Vierteenlandschildpad

> Testudo horsfieldii — Reptielen. The Central Asian tortoise (Testudo horsfieldii), also commonly known as the Afghan tortoise, the steppe tortoise, the Russian tortoise (mainly in the pet trade), Horsfield's tortoise, the four-clawed tortoise, the four-toed tortoise,  the Russian steppe tortoise, the Soviet tortoise, is a threatened species of tortoise in the family Testudinidae.

- Scientific name: *Testudo horsfieldii*
- Category: `reptiles` (Reptielen)
- Habitats: `grassland` (Weiden en velden), `zoo` (Dierentuin en huisdieren), `desert` (Woestijn)
- iNaturalist observations: 2054
- Wikidata: [Q754182](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q754182)
- iNaturalist taxon: [40032](https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/40032)

## Names

- en: Afghan Tortoise
- de: Steppenschildkröte
- es: Tortuga Terrestre Afgana
- fr: Tortue Des Steppes
- nl: Vierteenlandschildpad
- pl: Żółw stepowy

## Countries with the most observations

KZ (728), UZ (210), US (81), TJ (36), IR (22), PK (10), TM (7), KG (6), AF (4), RU (4), FR (3)

## Summary

The Central Asian tortoise (Testudo horsfieldii), also commonly known as the Afghan tortoise, the steppe tortoise, the Russian tortoise (mainly in the pet trade), Horsfield's tortoise, the four-clawed tortoise, the four-toed tortoise,  the Russian steppe tortoise, the Soviet tortoise, is a threatened species of tortoise in the family Testudinidae. The species is endemic to Central Asia from the Caspian Sea south through Iran, Pakistan and Afghanistan, and east across Kazakhstan to Xinjiang, China. Human activities in its native habitat contribute to its threatened status.
Two Testudo horsfieldii tortoises were the…

Text: Wikipedia (en), CC BY-SA 4.0 — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Central_Asian_tortoise

## Photo

![Vierteenlandschildpad](https://animalchecklist.com/img/animals/afghan-tortoise/medium.jpg)

Photo: Alan Jeon · CC0 · inaturalist — https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/113964792

## Machine access

`GET https://animalchecklist.com/api/v1/animals/afghan-tortoise?lang=nl` — see [openapi.json](https://animalchecklist.com/openapi.json).