Leopard Tortoise

Stigmochelys pardalis

Least Concern

The species is abundant and widely distributed; it faces no significant short-term risk. See full glossary

The leopard tortoise is a cryptodire tortoise of the family Testudinidae and the only member of the genus Stigmochelys. Large in size, it lives in the savannahs of Africa, from Sudan to South Africa. This chelonian is a grazing tortoise that lives in semi-arid areas, on grassland, though some leopard tortoises have been found in wetter regions.

Weight

15 kg – 40 kg

Size

40 cm – 70 cm

Lifespan

80 years

Diet

Herbivore

Feeds mainly on plants.

Activity

Diurnal

Active mainly during the day.

Social structure

Solitary

Lives and hunts alone, joining others only to breed.

Sighting difficulty

Easy

SavannaDesertGrasslandHerbivore Diurnal Solitary Reptile Savanna Desert Grassland

43countries 45parks13same family

Fun facts

GeneralThe fourth largest tortoise in the world, and one of the few that swims well.
It is the only African land tortoise able to swim: its strongly domed shell gives it enough buoyancy and stability to cross watercourses, something most tortoises cannot do.
Its incubation is among the longest and most variable of any tortoise: the eggs can take more than a year to hatch, waiting underground for the rains to soften the soil.
It is one of Africa's Little Five, an informal tourist list of smaller wildlife created as a counterpoint to the Big Five of the safari.