Leopard Tortoise

Stigmochelys pardalis

Reptile

Transcript:

Today on Animal Fact Files we’re discussing the leopard tortoise. These reptiles get their name from the large cat. The tortoises are yellow with black spots, just like a leopard! The spots are more distinct in young leopard tortoises and they spread out and sometimes even fade as the reptiles age. Leopard tortoises that live in forest habitats maintain spots as their dappled appearance helps them blend in with the dappled sunlight and shade along the forest floor, but in open habitats the tortoises have a more even color tone to match the yellowish grasses that grow around them.

These reptiles live in diverse habitats. While the name "tortoise" might bring to mind images of desert landscapes, and leopard tortoises do live in some semi-desert regions, they also thrive in savannahs, evergreen forests, and coastal thickets. In fact, these resourceful reptiles may live from sea level to well over a mile (1.6 km) in elevation! Leopard tortoises range across east and southern sub-Saharan Africa.

These tortoises are some of the largest alive today. Female leopard tortoises are the largest, weighing up to 110 pounds (50kg)! Of course, that's an extreme, on average they weigh less than half this. They typically measure about 20 inches (50 cm) across their shell as adults, but the largest ladies can reach two and a half feet (78 cm) long! At the other end of the extreme, their babies are tiny. When they hatch, leopard tortoises are only about 2 inches (5 cm) long! This is when they’re most vulnerable.

Leopard tortoise eggs and young are taken by small carnivores including bats, jackals, and honey badgers as well as monitor lizards and snakes. Once they reach about 8 inches (20cm) in length, they are generally safe from all but the toughest predators include hyenas and lions on rare occasions. Sometimes humans take leopard tortoises as food, though more often they're poached for the pet trade. Roadkilling and fires also threaten leopard tortoise populations.

8 inches in length is a pivotal milestone for these reptiles as it's not only their "safe size" from predators, it's also when they reach reproductive age. Male leopard tortoises fight by ramming into each other in an attempt to drive any opponents away. They're also aggressive with females and let out loud hisses while mating. Males have a clearly concave lower shell for mating and a longer, thicker tail with no spur at the end. Females dig their own nests to lay their eggs, and they soften soil before digging with their urine. Anywhere from 4 to 30 eggs may be laid at the most extreme end, although usually fewer than 10 eggs are laid at a time. They emerge leathery but quickly harden in the nest and take 8 months to over a year to hatch depending on temperature and rainfall. The female may lay multiple clutches throughout the year.

Like other large tortoises, leopard tortoises are believed to live decades in the wild. They're considered solitary and territorial. During colder parts of the year, these reptiles enter a low activity state, but it's not exactly hibernation. If there are nice days during the winter, they'll head outside to soak up the sun. When they aren't out and about, they spend their time resting in burrows made by other animals including termite mounds as well as rock crevices. They're diurnal, but leopard tortoises spend the heat of the day in shade so as not to overheat. They are, after all, ectotherms and depend on their environment for heat. Too much could kill them!

A leopard tortoise's diet consists of plant material such as fruits, succulents, and herbs. They also eat mushrooms and even carrion if they come across it. What's more, they'll dine on wild dog and hyena excrement to take in the leftover nutrients found there. And perhaps their most fascinating dietary choice is their preference for bones! Leopard tortoises chew on bones in order to obtain calcium!

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