Leopard tortoises are the fourth largest species of tortoise in the world! Even though the average adult reaches 16 inches and weighs 29 pounds, specimens as large as 44 pounds can be found in the northern or southern borders of their range.

Leopard tortoises have high, steep shells that form a nice dome. The younger tortoises have vibrant black spots and slashes on a yellow background, which will eventually blur together as they age.

Like other tortoises, the upper part of a leopard tortoise’s shell is covered by plates made of thick keratin called scutes. However, leopard tortoises are the only tortoise to not have the protective scute above their neck which allows them to raise their head high enough to swim.

Their thick front legs have a paddle-like shape that assists with swimming and they can stay underwater for up to 10 minutes!

Leopard tortoises are found in the dry grasslands and savannas of southern and eastern Africa in places such as Sudan and Namibia. Their ideal habitat will have mixed grasses for grazing, water sources, and temperatures that do not fall below 50°F. If the temperatures get too high, you will often see leopard tortoises shading themselves under bushy plants or in abandoned critter holes.

Leopard tortoises are herbivores, usually grazing on the thistles, succulents, and grasses found in their grassland habitats. They will sometimes chew on bones or consume hyena feces to absorb the calcium which is good for their shell health and eggshell production. The water they collect is stored in a bursa sac for droughts, the dry winter months, to moisten dig sites, or repel predators.

Leopard tortoises mate between May and October when the males will fight each other to mate with females. Once the female is ready to lay her eggs, she will dig several holes around 3-4 weeks apart and lay 5-30 eggs in each hole before covering them up with leaves. After 8-15 months, the eggs will hatch, and the hatchlings are totally independent. Gender of the babies can be determined by temperature with males being born under 88 °F and females born over.

One must never pick up any tortoise species during winter because it may expel all of the water it had stored in its bursa sac as a defense mechanism. It would take too long to replenish enough water to keep hydrated during winter once emptied.