Leopard Tortoise

Although it is quite common to see turtles and terrapins basking in the sun close to water it is less often that you get to see the Leopard Tortoise, Geochelone pardalis

They tend to be shy and stick to the undergrowth, however we have been successful in seeing them along some of the quieter, less well-travelled roads in Tsavo West National Park.

Their diet is most exclusively vegetarian but they have been seen to chew bones and hyena faeces for the calcium content.

When they are first hatched they are extremely vulnerable to a very wide range of predators (even lions are known to eat young Tortoises) but once they reach about 20cm in size they are safe from all predators except for man.