The Leopard Tortoise is a large species of Tortoise that is native to parts of Eastern and Southern Africa.
This is a grazing tortoise that likes to live in the savannas of Africa and other types of grassland habitats.
The Leopard Tortoise is one of the largest species of tortoise in the world and can grow to around 16 inches or 40cm in length.
Leopard Tortoise Taxonomy
In the Animal Kingdom, Taxonomy is used as the science and practice of classifying different species and sub-species based on their biological and genetic makeup.
Family
The Leopard Tortoise belongs to the family Testudinidae. This is simply the family of tortoises. They are closely related to Pond Turtles and Asian Turtles.
Tortoises can vary greatly in size from the Galapagos Giant Tortoise that is over 1.2 metres to tiny tortoises that are only about 3 inches in length.
Most species of tortoise have a number of similarities. However, there are always a few exceptions to these rules.
In general, tortoises have a hard shell and they retract their head and neck directly backwards into the shell to protect them.
They are land animals that swim poorly or can’t swim at all. They typically move very slowly, with average speeds of less than 0.5km per hour.
There are 17 different genera of tortoises at the time of writing and over 60 recognised species.
Genus
The genus that the Leopard Tortoise belongs to is called Stigmochelys. It is an extant species, meaning it is the only species in the genus.
It has previously been placed in the Testudo genus as well as the Geochelone genus.
The Testudo genus contains common species of European Tortoises such as the Hermanns Tortoise and the Russian Tortoise.
The Geochelone genus contains species such as the Indian Star Tortoise and the Burmese Star Tortoise.
Species
The scientific name for the Leopard Tortoise is Stigmochelys pardalis and there are currently two recognised sub-species, the Western and Eastern Leopard Tortoise.
The Western sub-species is the nominate sub-species and has the scientific name Stigmochelys pardalis pardalis. The Eastern sub-species is called Stigmochelys pardalis babcocki.
The species was first described in 1828 by an English zoologist named Thomas Bell.
Leopard Tortoise Description
The Leopard Tortoise is one of the largest species of tortoise in the world and can grow to around 16 inches or 40cm in length.
This is the typical size of one of these tortoises but they can grow even larger than this with specimens reported as large as 70cm.
They have a unique looking carapace or upper shell. It is highly domed with very steep sides that are almost vertical.
The shell of the tortoise is a light brown or tan color with darker black markings or blotches along the shell.
These blotches can be large or can take the form of smaller blotches that are spread all over the shell to form a busy pattern.
The blotches on a juvenile’s carapace tends to be more prominent with better contrast. These markings tend to fade and become a bit more washed out as the tortoise ages.
The skin color of the tortoise is usually light brown, tan or yellowish in color. It is usually fairly uniform except for some lighter colored scales on the inside of the tortoises’ forelimbs.
Natural Habitat and Distribution
The Leopard Tortoise is native to parts of Eastern and Southern Africa. The Eastern and Southern ranges are broken by rainforest habitats where these tortoises aren’t found.
To the East, these tortoises can be found in places such as Ethiopia, Somalia, Kenya and Tanzania.
The Leopard Tortoise has an extensive range throughout much of Southern Africa and can be found in places such as South Africa, Lesotho, Eswatini, Mozambique and parts of Malawi.
Their range extends across to the South West coast of the continent, passing through countries such as Zambia, Zimbabwe, Botswana and Namibia.
Their range is cut off in parts of Mozambique, Malawi and Zambia which separates the two populations of Leopard Tortoise.
They share parts of their geographical range with species such as the Armadillo Lizard, the Egg Eater Snake, the White Throat Monitor, the Berg Adder and the Horned Adder.
These tortoises can be found in the arid and savanna regions within their range. They are highly adaptable and can also be found in grasslands, thorn-scrub and mesic brushland.
These tortoises are even known to live at altitudes of up to nearly 3,000m.
Leopard Tortoise Behaviour
The Leopard Tortoise is a herbivore, meaning it eats a diet that consists of plant based matter.
They have a very varied diet and will graze on a wide variety of plant matter including grasses, thistles and plant roots.
However, they are not a strict herbivore as they are known to chew on the bones of dead animals in order to increase their calcium intake.
The Leopard Tortoise is a diurnal species, meaning it is primarily active during the day and will sleep during the night.
However, when the temperature is excessively hot, they will often become active in the early morning and again in the evening to avoid the extreme heat of the day.