Stats

Lifespan: 50-100 yrs
Size: Large
Diet: Herbivore
Activity: Diurnal
Social: Solitary
Biome: Tropical savanna
Range: Sub-Saharan Africa
Movement: Walking
Breeding: Egg-laying
Defense: Armor
Status: Uncommon

About

Africa's fourth-largest tortoise, the leopard tortoise bears a high-domed carapace boldly patterned with black blotches on pale yellow — spots that earned it its name and help camouflage it among dry savanna grasses. Individuals can live over a century and reach 40 kg, yet hatchlings emerge from leathery eggs no bigger than a golf ball.

Life cycle

1.
hatchling
A coin-sized hatchling digs out of the nest and makes its own way to water or shelter.
2.
juvenile
A juvenile turtle's shell hardens and grows yearly rings as it forages on its own.
3.
adult
Fully grown with adult shell size and markings.

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Taxonomy

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Testudines
Family: Testudinidae
Genus: Stigmochelys
Species: Stigmochelys pardalis