The pancake tortoise (Malacochersus tornieri) is native to rocky hillsides and arid scrub in southern Kenya and northern and eastern Tanzania. It is unique among tortoises for its flat, thin, and flexible shell, which has reduced bone content compared to other tortoises, allowing the animal to wedge itself into narrow rock crevices to escape predators rather than withdrawing into a rigid shell. It is also unusually fast and agile for a tortoise. It feeds mainly on dry grasses and other vegetation. Habitat loss and collection for the pet trade have driven steep declines, and the IUCN assesses it as Critically Endangered.
Facts
Classification
System (Realm) Relationship to People Living or Extinct Scientific Name Conservation Status Comparison
CITES Appendix Connections
Child Taxon Of
Source Pancake Tortoise (Wikidata)
In Biome
Source San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance: Malacochersus tornieri
In the Other Atlases
Found In
Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.
Sources
1. San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance: Malacochersus tornieri
San Diego Zoo Wildlife AllianceHabitat and Diet: food
Pancake tortoises feast on dry grasses and most other vegetation.
Habitat and Diet: range
Pancake tortoises live in arid savannas and scrublands of East Africa.
View the Source 2. Wikipedia: Pancake Tortoise
3. Pancake Tortoise (Wikidata)
Wikidata- Wikidata Q832357 (P225 taxon name)
Statements section, conservation status (P141)
IUCN Red List conservation status (Wikidata property P141): critically endangered.
- Child Taxon Of: Testudinidae, Wikidata parent-taxon (P171) chain
View the Source Reader Challenges (0)
No disputes yet. Spotted an error or a better source? Open the first one.
Sign in to dispute this or suggest a correction.