Leopard Tortoise

(Geochelone pardalis) The Leopard tortoise is a large tortoise that is found in Africa, from the Sudan to the Capes of the southern aspects, and is a type of tortoise that likes the drier areas that are thorny and grassy in nature.

The Leopard tortoise is what is known as a grazing tortoise.

In regions or on days that are very hot, or very cold, they will make themselves comfortable in an older anteater hole, or a fox or jackals den.

Ultimate Pet Tortoise Care Guide
Ultimate Pet Tortoise Care Guide

The Leopard Tortoise is an African scrub dweller
The Leopard Tortoise is an African scrub dweller

The Leopard tortoise, although it likes to dwell in holes or underground,don’t normally dig other than when depositing their eggs into nests they’ve dug in sand or soil after spring mating.

The tortoise grazes long hours on mixed grasses, preferring the fruit and the pads of the prickly pear cactus, as well as a variety of other succulents and also thistle.

The Leopart tortoise grows to a fairly larg size..  16-18 inches or as much as 50 Centimeters, and will when grown weigh in at about fifty pounds.

A baby Leopard Tortoise hatching from its shell
A baby Leopard Tortoise hatching from its shell

Large examples may be over 2 ft long and weigh closer to 80 pounds when fully grown.

It is a large  tortoise with beautifully arranged markings.

The carapace is high and domed, and pyramid shaped scutes are quite common to see.

Their skin is creamy white or yellow in color with the shells is marked with black blotches,  sometimes spots, or occasionally dashes or even stripes.

The turtles markings are like a fingerprint. Each one is unique to the tortoise so that even without tagging, individual tortoises can be differentiated simply by the patterns on their skin and shell..

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