African spurred tortoise

Have you ever met a grumpy tortoise? No? Well, you have now.

The males can be particularly argumentative and aggressive. They can often be seen ramming other males whilst letting out all kinds of sounds. They croak, they grunt, they even whistle. They’re that aggressive that from the moment they hatch from their eggs they’re trying to get ‘one over’, quite literally, on their siblings by trying to flip them on their backs…charming!

Did you know that tortoises like to dig? It’s true. They do this so they can access areas containing higher amounts of moisture. An ideal way to cool down in the scorching desert sun.

Conservation

Listed as vulnerable on the IUCN red list due to the destruction of their habitats and over grazing by livestock. They also fall prey to nomadic tribes who see them as a food source. Finally, they are highly sought after for the pet trade with only the younger ones being taken. As it takes roughly 15 years for these tortoises to reach maturity it’s greatly reducing the amount of successful mating taking place in the wild.