One of the 41 turtles and tortoises on WAnimals
Reptiles · Testudines · Testudinidae
African Spurred Tortoise
Centrochelys sulcata
It faces a very high risk of extinction in the wild in the near future. See full glossary
The African spurred tortoise is a species of cryptodire tortoise of the family Testudinidae and the only member of the genus Centrochelys. It used to live across much of the territory along the southern edge of the Sahara Desert, in the Sahel, and today survives almost only inside national parks and wildlife reserves. It is threatened in its habitat by the urbanisation of that habitat, by desertification, farming and grazing, as well as by the use of its meat as local food and in traditional medicine.
Weight
40 kg – 100 kg
Size
60 cm – 85 cm
Lifespan
80 years
Diet
Herbivore
Feeds mainly on plants.
Activity
Crepuscular
Active above all at dawn and dusk.
Social structure
Solitary
Lives and hunts alone, joining others only to breed.
Sighting difficulty
Hard
Fun facts
- GeneralThe largest mainland tortoise on the planet, at up to 100 kg; it digs burrows several metres long.
- It is the largest mainland tortoise in the world: only the giant tortoises of the Galápagos and Aldabra, which live on islands, are bigger. An adult can weigh a hundred kilos.
- It digs burrows more than ten metres long and several metres deep, where temperature and humidity stay stable, and those tunnels are an essential refuge for many other animals of the Sahel.
- It is one of the most widely sold pet tortoises in the world, sold as a hatchling a few centimetres long, and the reptile sanctuaries of Europe and North America are overwhelmed with adults abandoned by owners who did not anticipate their final size.
Life cycle & biology
- Skeleton type
- Vertebrate - internal bony skeleton with a shell (reptile)
- Habitat & environment
- The Sahel: dry savannah and semi-desert
- Sexual maturity
- 15 years
- Gestation / incubation
- 120 days of incubation
- Litter / clutch size
- 20 eggs
Sources consulted: https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Centrochelys_sulcata
Where to find it
See its range on the interactive mapWhere to watch it
Parques y spots de buceo donde se ha documentado esta especie — se muestran 10 de 17 documentados.
Related species
Other species in the catalogue with the most in common with African Spurred Tortoise — same habitat, park, country, tags or family.
Leopard Tortoise
Stigmochelys pardalis
Pancake Tortoise
Malacochersus tornieri
EndangeredGrevy's Zebra
Equus grevyi
Beisa Oryx
Oryx beisa
Lappet-faced Vulture
Torgos tracheliotos
EndangeredAfrican Savanna Elephant
Loxodonta africana
How to help
The african spurred tortoise is classified as endangered. Organizations such as UICN, WWF y Wildlife Conservation Society work specifically on its conservation and that of its habitat; looking into their programs is a good starting point if you want to get involved.
It's documented in 9 real protected areas — part of why protecting these places matters for its conservation.
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