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Hi all,

Who can help me out with IDing some tortoises?

1. Spotted in Addo.



2. Spotted in Addo. Could be leopard tortoise?



Thanks a lot,

Bas

#1 - 2 Leoparg tortoise / bergskilpad / Stigmochelys pardalis

They may be common, but it's always nice to see a tortoise...

Are both of these Leopard tortoises? (Seen on the road from Numbi gate).

They are indeed

B5S. Do you know what factors determine the different colouration from one leopard tortoise to another, as these two are quite different?

The top one looks wet
if not then probable has to do with different habitat?Will look into it later today.

The difference in colouration has to do with age, the younger the tortoise, the more boldly it is marked.

A Leopard Tortoise in the road close to Lower-Sabie in the Kruger National Park.



Did You Know?
The Leopard Tortoise is easily the largest species of tortoise in Southern Africa.

A Leopard Tortoise in the road close to Lower-Sabie in the Kruger National Park.



Did You Know?
The Leopard Tortoise derives its name from the dark spots on the carapace.

A Leopard Tortoise in the road close to Lower-Sabie in the Kruger National Park.



Did You Know?
Very large and old Leopard Tortoise may become almost completely plain dull brown.

Why don't Kruger's totoises get as big as the ones in Addo or is it just that we don't see them in Kruger? Anyone out there that have seen some really big ones in Kruger?

It has probably got something to do with their diet. I also don't think predation was as big a problem for them as for the ones'n KNP.
Maby someone else got a better explanation?

This is what I could find on http://www.reptilechannel.com

"Two varieties of leopard tortoises are often recognized. One is Geochelone p. pardalis, the other is Geochelone p. babcocki. The former is the larger of the two, found in restricted areas of the eastern and southern Cape Province of South Africa, and recognized by a more pronounced plastral cavity in males. The smaller babcocki occurs elsewhere within the extensive range of our reptilian leopard and generally boasts a more vivid color/pattern combination, plus a plastral depression that covers only the posterior third of males. However, these are merely general differences as a great variety of color/pattern/size combinations exist in any given region, especially when young and very old specimens are involved. I tend to agree with Boycott and Bourquin (1988) that the validity of babcocki is not at all justified by such small and often contradictory factors."

I saw this leopard tortoise along the H1-8 on 17 April 2012.

Up Near Letaba