Savanna, Shrubland Habitat varies greatly over this species' large range, and Leopard Tortoises utilize the most habitat types of any sub-Saharan species (Branch, 2008). Habitats include karroid fynbos in the south to mesic thicket, arid and mesic savanna, thorn scrub, and grassland as you move northeastward in the range. Leopard Tortoises can be found from sea-level to about 2,900 m altitude (Hailey and Coulson 1995, Mason et al. 2000, Malonza et al. 2006, Branch, 2008). Diet includes a wide variety of plants such as seasonal annuals, grasses, succulents and forbs (parts include leaves, flowers, seeds). Occasional ingestion of dried carcass, bone, ash, or feces has also been observed (Milton 1992, Rall and Fairall 1993, Kabigumila 2001, Busson and Loehr 2011). Stigmochelys is known to be an important seed disperser in Addo Elephant National Park, where its biomass exceeds that of most other herbivores. As it does not “chew cud” like most mammalian herbivores, seeds pass intact through the digestive tract. It is therefore of greater significance as a seed-disperser than ungulates (Milton 1992, Mason 1995). Size tends to vary geographically with larger individuals in mesic habitat at both the northern and southern extremes of its range (individuals known to reach up to 70 cm). In the central savanna of East Africa animals are around 30-45 cm (Lambert 1995, Branch 2008, Fritz et al. 2010). Females grow faster than males, females are heavier, and tortoises reach sexual maturity at about 12 to 15 years. Tortoise are known to live from 30 to 75 years in captivity (Boycott and Bourquin 2000, Branch 2008). Nesting takes place from May to June or from October to November depending on latitude. Female Leopard Tortoises lay 6-15 (exceptionally up to 30) spherical hard-shelled eggs and may have multiple clutches (3-7) during a breeding season. Incubation period varies from 8-15 months depending on temperatures (Bonin et al. 2006, Branch 2008). Natural predators on young/eggs include monitor lizards, snakes, honey badgers, jackals, mongoose, eagles, and crows; however, adult tortoises have also been reported to be preyed upon by lions in Kruger National Park and hyena in Bwabwata National Park (Broadley 1989, Bonin et al. 2006, Branch, 2008, Hanssen and Cunningham, 2012).
The Leopard Tortoise has been listed in Appendix II of CITES since 1975. Tanzania has had a zero annual export quota for specimens removed from the wild and traded for primarily commercial purposes since 2009, and the Congo (DRC) has been under a trade suspension for this species since 2001 (CITES, Notification 2013/013 ). In 2001 the USDA enacted a prohibition on the importation of African land tortoises including S. pardalis into the United States because of the risk posed by Heartwater disease, an acute, infectious disease carried by ticks and affecting ruminants, to the US livestock industry (Smith and Redding, 2001). Leopard Tortoises occur in multiple protected areas throughout the range including Awash National Park (NP), Mago NP, Nechisar NP, and Omo NP in Ethiopia (Fife 2012; Baker pers. comm. 2013); Tana River Primate National Reserve in Kenya (Malonza et al. 2006); Bwabwata NP in Namibia (Hanssen and Cunningham 2012); Kruger NP, Bontebok NP, Karoo NP, Addo Elephant Park, Mountain Zebra NP, and the Franklin Nature Reserve in South Africa (Grobler 1982, Broadley 1989, Bonin 2006, Douglas and Rall 2006); Arusha NP, Serengeti NP, Lake Manyara NP, and Tarangire NP in Tanzania (Kabigumila 1995, Razzetti and Andekia Msuya 2002); and Sengwa Wildlife Research Area in Zimbabwe (Hailey and Coulson 1995). Human traditional beliefs offer protection against local exploitation in parts of its range, as this tortoise is often respected in local traditions and generally left unharmed when found (Spawls et al. 2002). This species is readily bred in captivity (Mislin 2006, Velensky and Velenska 2006, Fife 2012). In Tanzania, the species is farmed to supply the legal export trade (Kabigumila 1998). However, it was found on occasion that the farms were not abiding by quota regulations and the tortoises did not have adequate enclosures, diet, veterinary attention and clean water, resulting in a reproductive output that was poor and likely unable to keep up with the trade demand (Kabigumila 1998). Trade in Leopard Tortoises needs to be monitored carefully, particularly of larger, adult animals, in view of potential consumption trade to urban areas and to East Asia. More genetic work is recommended to identify conservation units; recent work (Fritz et al. 2010) identified seven genetic lineages, of which five occur in South Africa, with some likely endemic to the country.
CLASS : Reptilia
ORDER : Testudines
FAMILY : Testudinidae
GENUS : Stigmochelys
SPECIES : Leopard Tortoise (Stigmochelys pardalis)
Conservation status : Least Concern
Update : 11 April 2017
