Leopard Tortoise

The leopard tortoise (Stigmochelys pardalis) is a large tortoise of the savannas of eastern and southern Africa, ranging from South Sudan and Somalia down to South Africa and Namibia, and is named for the leopard-like blotched pattern on the yellow shell of juveniles, which fades to plain brown or grey in mature adults. It is the fourth-largest tortoise species, with typical adults reaching about 40 centimeters and 13 kilograms, and large individuals from the extremes of its range growing considerably bigger. It is a grazer, feeding on grasses and forbs and occasionally gnawing bones for calcium, and can live 80 to 100 years. The IUCN assesses it as Least Concern.