Sulcata Tortoise

Centrochelys sulcata

Reptile

Transcript:

Today on Animal Fact Files we’re talking about sulcata tortoises. Learn more about your favorite animals by subscribing to the channel! Sulcata tortoises are also known as African spurred tortoises which is an apt name. Sulcata tortoises live on the fringes of the northern deserts and southern savannahs of Africa preferring scrubland, grassland, semi-desert region to call home. The “spurred” part of that name has to do with the spurs found on their rear legs for which we do not know the purpose. It is a mystery… Sulcata tortoises are the largest living mainland tortoises losing in size to only the island dwelling Aldabra and Galapagos tortoises. Male sulcata tortoises are larger than females and can reach two and a half feet (76 centimeters) in length and weigh more than 200 pounds (90 kilograms). The ladies are still hefty, though, reaching about two thirds that length and half that weight!

These reptiles are generally found in patchy populations and it’s unknown whether this is typical of this species or if current conditions are driving down their population. Sulcata tortoises are considered vulnerable to extinction as they are losing habitat and are competing with grazing domestic animals for food. Sulcata tortoises are vegetarians and eat grasses, flowers, and succulents meaning their diet it mostly high in fiber and low in protein. Most of the water they obtain through their diets, though if they do happen across a body of water they’ll drink that stuff up.

When sulcata tortoises happen across each other, however, things can get a little spicy. Apparently these tortoises don’t play well with their neighbors and they’ll go about grunting and hissing and then biting and ramming their conspecifics trying to flip each other over. Males can leave each other bloody after such confrontations and even females get this aggressive treatment during breeding season.

When they do mate, a female sulcata tortoise will be pregnant for about two months. When she’s ready to lay her eggs, she’ll go about digging holes until she has made the best one. These can take hours to dig up, so she’s pretty determined that her babies get the perfect nest. She’ll lay her thirty-ish eggs and cover them up where they’ll incubate for about eight months, and even when they hatch they can be feisty towards one another!

Aside from digging nests, sulcata tortoises dig burrows that can reach up to ten feet (3 meters) below the earth’s surface. They use these to escape the extreme heat of the day and the bitter cold at night. This does make them a crepuscular species. If it gets too hot, they’ll even spit on their front legs to help keep cool.

In some African cultures, sulcata tortoises are thought to be able to communicate both with the gods and mortal men. This is giving me some serious lion turtle vibes...

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