Scaly friends count too.
Leopard Tortoise
Stigmochelys pardalis
Also called Testudo pardalis (original name), Geochelone pardalis (former name)
From Savannas of eastern and southern Africa, from South Sudan and Somalia south through East Africa to Namibia and South Africa1
At a glance the quick version
Looks how to spot one
High-domed shell
A big, high-domed tortoise named for its spotted shell. Young animals have bold black blotches, dots or streaks on a yellow background, while older adults fade to a softer brown or grey pattern.1
Daily activity how busy a day looks
Active by day and roams widely while grazing. It does not dig its own burrows except to nest, and shelters in old burrows dug by other animals in extreme weather.1
Home where they are happiest
A tortoise of semi-arid, thorny grassland and savanna, found from sea level up to about 2,900 m. It avoids humid forest areas.1
Food basics what goes in the bowl
Herbivore that grazes on grasses and other plants, including thistles and succulents. Wild animals sometimes gnaw on old bones as a natural calcium source.1
The story where it all began
Thomas Bell described the leopard tortoise in 1828 as Testudo pardalis. It has been moved between several genera and since 2001 has its own genus, Stigmochelys. Recent work does not support splitting it into two subspecies.1
Fun facts for the dinner table
- 1
It is the fourth-largest tortoise species in the world.1
- 2
'Pardalis' comes from the Latin for leopard, and the genus name means 'spotted tortoise'.1
- 3
Rather than digging its own home, it moves into abandoned burrows made by aardvarks, foxes or jackals.1
- 4
It plays a useful part in its ecosystem by helping to spread plant seeds.1
Recognised by the official bits
- IUCN Red List
- Least Concern1
- CITES
- Appendix II since 19751
The care rhythm Furry Diary remembers it for you
A typical home-care rhythm for a Leopard Tortoise. It is our own starting plan, not a vet's advice, and you can change every line in the app.
- Fresh food and waterevery day
- Temperature checkevery day
- Spot cleanevery day
- SoakA shallow lukewarm soakevery week
- UVB bulb changeFollow the bulb maker's adviceevery 6 months
- Outdoor time summerSupervised sunshine on warm daysevery day
- Weigh inevery month
- Full cleanevery month
- Vet check-upFind a vet who sees exotic petsevery year
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Where this comes from
Every breed page shows where each fact comes from. If we got something wrong, sorry, we are pet people, not a science magazine. Tell us at [email protected] and we will fix it.
- Leopard tortoise - Wikipedia en.wikipedia.orgused for all fields: range, taxonomy, size, lifespan, shell, behaviour, diet, status, facts
Checked 2026-09-30. Text is written in our own words from these sources.