AFRICAN SPURRED TORTOISE
QUICK FACTS
Scientific Name
Geochelone sulcata
Species Survival Plan
No
Habitat
Hot, arid environments; desert fringes to dry savannahs
Predators
Man
Food
Grass, plants, flowers, some insects and grubs
Originally Native To
Southern Sahara desert including the countries of Chad, Sudan and Ethiopia
Height
Approximately 12 inches
Weight
Male 150 - 200 lb.
Female 80 - 130 lb.
Characteristics
Third-largest land tortoise; broad, oval, flattened carapaces that are brown to yellow in color; legs are covered in spurs
Gestation Period
88 days
Offspring
15 - 30 eggs
Birth Season
Fall months
Lifespan
Wild ?
Captivity 60 - 80 years
Social Behavior
Solitary, only meet up to breed
ABOUT THE AFRICAN SPURRED TORTOISE
Very little is known about African Spurred Tortoises in the wild due to lack of field research. They are solitary creatures that live in some of the harshest regions of Africa.
It is the third-largest tortoise species in the world, preceded by the Galapagos and Aldabra species. The largest African Spurred Tortoise on record is 232 pounds. In the wild, they feed on desert scrub and grasses.
In captivity, they are voracious eaters and dine on grass, plants, flowers and leafy greens. To withstand extreme heat and cold, they will dig elaborate tunnel and burrow systems that can be up to 10 feet deep.
African Spurred Tortoises don’t actually drink water. In order for these tortoises to stay hydrated, they soak in any water they can find. Drinking too much water can actually make them sick.
These tortoises also act like bulldozers. If they can see through an object, they will try and plow through it and are usually pretty successful.
MEET THE NEIGHBORS
Waterbuck
Waterbuck are found in southeastern, central and western Africa. When exposed to a high level of human activity, they will become almost completely nocturnal, only...
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Scimitar-Horned Oryx
The scimitar-horned oryx once again roams the grasslands of Chad. Extinct in the wild in the late 1980s, 23 animals were released to native habitat...
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Roan
Roan, the fourth-largest antelopes in Africa, are usually active in the morning, late afternoon and evening. The roan is associated with woodland savannas, but is...
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Ostrich
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Nigerian Dwarf Goat
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Aoudad
Aoudads, also known as Barbary sheep, are the only wild sheep in Africa. They were brought to the U.S. in the early 1900s for exhibition...
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Grevy’s Zebra
This zebra is named for Jules Grevy, a French president who received one from the king of Ethiopia as a gift in the 1880s. It...
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Greater Kudu
Very large antelopes, the male kudu have thick, spiraled horns that can reach six feet in length. Sexually dimorphic, only the males have horns and...
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Giraffe
Giraffes are the tallest living land mammals, and although it looks like their hind legs are shorter, all four legs are almost the same length....
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Cheetah
The sleek cheetah is built for speed and can accelerate from 0-60 mph in seconds. However, it can run only 600 yards before it is...
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Arabian Oryx
The oryx is one of the best desert-adapted large mammals, capable of living in a waterless habitat where few other species can survive. They can...
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Addra Gazelle
Formerly one of the most prevalent Saharan gazelles, this antelope is the largest gazelle species....
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Addax
There are less than 100 addax in the wild. Formerly ranging over the entire Sahara Desert of Africa, four-wheel drive access to the desert and...
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ANYTHING YOU GIVE HELPS THE ANIMALS
As a private nonprofit corporation, Fossil Rim does not receive national or state government support. Every cent spent or donated here goes in some way, directly or indirectly, toward the care of our animals.