African Spurred Tortoise

The African Spurred Tortoise, also known as the Sulcata Tortoise, is the third-largest tortoise in the world. It is only smaller than the Galapagos Tortoise and the Aldabra Giant Tortoise. It is also the largest mainland turtle since the other two are native to islands. The African Spurred Tortoise lives in central Africa and lives in some extremely hot places, including the Sahra Desert. The weather is often too hot for the tortoise and they will go into their burrows. These animals are very good diggers and their burrows usually reach 30 inches deep, but many surpass this by a lot. The burrows are often very damp and cool which is a good refuge for the tortoise’s environment. They can go weeks without food and they get all their water from their diet. It is a herbivore and eats grasses, cacti, and weeds. They live for around 50 years in the wild. It does not have many predators so the main threat is its environment and humans. They are very popular pets and will often be taken out of their habitat to be sold as pets. They are marked as vulnerable on the endangered species list. They grow very fast and owners often can not handle them.

“African Spurred Tortoise.” San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance Animals and Plants, https://animals.sandiegozoo.org/animals/african-spurred-tortoise.

Baltimore, The Maryland Zoo in. “Sulcata Tortoise.” The Maryland Zoo, 10 Dec. 2020, https://www.marylandzoo.org/animal/s%20/ sulcata.

Jared Paddock Safari West staff and conservation writer. “Safari Spotlight: Sulcata Tortoise.” Safari West, 10 Dec. 2019, https://www.safariwest.com/2016/03/safari-spotlight-sulcata-tortoise/.