African Spurred Tortoise

The Sulcata Tortoise, also called the African Spurred Tortoise, inhabits the southern edge of the Sahara desert in northern Africa. It is the third-largest species of tortoise in the world and the largest species of mainland tortoise.

It’s shell reaches the size of a tractor tire and weighs more than 100lbs.

Tortoise’s shells are permanently attached to their spine and they can’t crawl out of them. They are covered in plates called scutes which are made out of keratin like our fingernails. The top of the shell is called the carapace and the bottom is called the plastron. The shell is used to protect the tortoises from predators. Since tortoises are relatively slow walkers, shells offer them extra protection from others.

During the hottest part of the day, tortoises will dig dens up to 30′ deep to cool off. These dens are often reused by other animals to get out of the heat. Moving mostly at night, the Sulcata Tortoise will travel 2 to 3 miles in search of food and water. They can go weeks without food or water but when they find water they will drink up to 15% of their body weight.

This tortoise can be a popular pet due to their lively personalities and cute appearances when young. But, many owners don’t realize how large these tortoises can get and ultimately end up rehoming them. Some tortoises are even taken from the wild for the pet trade before they reach maturity at age 15, this doesn’t allow them to reproduce in the wild and is harmful to their populations.  Their population is decreasing primarily due to desertification in their habitat caused by climate change, this leads to habitat loss and competition for plants. Also, habitat fragmentation (splitting up a habitat into smaller patches) and livestock grazing has harmed their populations. The conservation and reintroduction of individuals would not only help their wild populations but will also help the ecosystem in which they live.

Tortoises help disperse seeds of various savanna plants.

The African Spurred Tortoises of African Safari Wildlife Park

You can interact with our Tortoises as part of the Zoo-It-All Animal Encounters Pass!

Diet: The Sulcata Tortoise is a vegetarian. It relies on succulent plants for food and much of its water. In captivity, it will eat a variety of grasses, lettuce, berseem, and morning glory leaves.