A biological payload of two russian tortoises, wine flies, meal worms, plants, seeds, bacteria, and other living matter was included in the flight.

Among the most popular are Russian tortoises, spur-thighed tortoises, and red-eared sliders.

Some sources also list three separate subspecies of Russian Tortoise, but they are not widely accepted by taxonomists:

Russian tortoises (Testudo horsfieldii)

It also carries the first living organisms to circle the Moon, including two Russian tortoises, Piophila, mealworms, plants and bacteria.

The Russian tortoise, Horsfield's tortoise or Central Asian tortoise Agrionemys horsfieldii, is a species of tortoise that is a popular pet.

In any case, separating a form that is in all respects a perfectly ordinary Testudo, compared to more distinct species such as the Russian tortoise seems to be gross oversplitting, making Testudo paraphyletic.

In his final chapter Mr. Aldrin reminds us that although the Russian tortoise lost the race to the moon, the American hare, trapped today in a snare of budget deficits and pressing domestic needs, has surrendered the long-range race.

Added pressure on the Apollo program to make its 1969 landing goal was provided by the Soviet Union's flight of some living creatures, including Russian tortoises, in a cislunar loop around the Moon on Zond 5 and return to Earth on September 21.

Though there are some indications that this might be correct, the data at hand is not unequivocally in support and the relationships between Hermann's and the Russian tortoise among each other and to the other species placed in Testudo are not robustly determined.

There are also about 100 species of turtles and tortoises (Russian tortoise, keeled box turtle, Batagur, Aspideretes, Chinemys, Chitra, Cistoclemmys, Cuora, Geochelone, Heosemys, Indotestudo, Mauremys, Ocadia, Pangshura, Pelochelys, Rafetus, Sacalia etc.).

Russian tortoises (Testudo horsfieldii)