 |
|
|
 |
| |
Geochelone sulcata
Habitat: Dry savannahs and scrubland
Diet: Grasses and other vegetation. Most of the water they need comes from the moisture in the food they eat.
Reproduction: Copulation occurs most frequently after a rainy season in September through November. When mating, the male first circles the female and will occasionally ram her with his shell. The female may dig several nests before they select one to lay there eggs in.
Physical Description: These tortoises have broad, flattened, oval carapices (dorsal shell) that range from brown to yellow. The plastron (ventral shell) is ivory colored. Their skin is very thick and ranges from golden to yellow brown in color. The large scales on the front legs overlap and on the rear legs spurs can be observed. The spurs are not known to serve any particular purpose.
Behavior: Tortoises enjoy digging and pushing over obstacles, as a result their burrows are very long and clear from any other debris. They can be very aggressive towards each other, especially during breeding time.
Conservation Status: Threatened
Fun Facts:
|
The soil in and around the burrow tends to retain more moisture than the surrounding ground surface. |
|
Other animals frequently use the tortoise’s burrow instead of digging their own |
|
Can live over 100 years old |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
