Distribution:  Found throughout the savannahs of sub-Sahara Africa, from Sudan to South Africa.  In East Africa, they range from low-to-medium-altitude savannah and grassland of northern Tanzania, southeast Kenya to the coast, the northern edge of the central Kenyan highlands to northwest Kenya, and northeast Uganda.

Habitat:  Prefer semi-desert, dry and moist savannah, coastal woodland and thicket, but avoid forest.  Often found in rocky country from sea level to about 5,000 feet.

Food and Feeding Methods:  Feed on a wide range of plants, including grasses, annuals and succulents.  They have been observed chewing on bones and eating hyena feces to obtain calcium for shell growth and eggshell development. 

Behavior:  Leopard tortoises occupy large home ranges of ½ to 2 sq. miles in size and have been known to undertake long return journeys of 3 to 6 miles when translocated from their territories.  They can’t move fast but are strong and persistent walkers.  Most active during the rainy season, especially mornings, in East Africa.  In southern Africa, during cold rain and in winter, they shelter deep in thick bush.

Due to high predation, young tortoises feed nervously, dashing for a bite and rushing back to cover.  Once a tortoise reaches 8 inches or more, it is safe from all predators but man, and can move and feed more safely.  Adults are relatively immune to predation, but may crack shells in falls in rocky areas or perish in bush fires.  Adults are usually infested with ticks in the soft groin skin.

Reproduction:  Most mating takes place during the rainy season.  Males are very aggressive during the breeding season, engaging in combat whenever they meet, pushing, butting and sometimes overturning one another.  Males are equally rough with females, pursing and butting them into submission.  Copulation is very noisy, often accompanied by much straining, asthmatic wheezing and hissing by the male.

The female selects a sunny, well-drained site in the open and excavates a pit up to 10 inches wide and deep with her hind feet, softening hard soil with copious amounts of urine.  In darkness, she lays an average of 4 to 18 (maximum 30) large, almost spherical (similar in shape to ping pong balls), hard-shelled eggs, about 1 ½  x 1 ¾ inches in size.  After laying her eggs, she refills the hole and may tamp down the soil by lifting and dropping her shell regularly on the spot.  A large female may lay 3 to 6 similar-sized clutches at monthly intervals during the breeding season.  Incubation is unknown in East Africa but is 10 to 15 months in South Africa, depending on the temperature. 

Hatchlings measure 2 to 2 ¾ inches in length and weigh ½ to 1 pound.  Hatchlings have many enemies before and after they dig themselves out of the pit: safari ants may attack eggs, monitor lizards and small carnivores may dig up nests, and snakes, predatory birds, mongooses and other carnivores, including even lions, have been known to eat hatchlings and juveniles.   Growth in the first years of life is slow but increases rapidly when the young tortoise gets too big (more than 8 inches in length) for small carnivores to eat and it can feed further from cover.  It weighs about 2 ¼ pounds by 7 or 8 years, after which it doubles its weight every 2 or 3 years.  Sexual maturity is reached at about 15 years, and they are known to live over 30 years in captivity and possibly up to 75 years.

Status:  Widespread over a large, often arid range and within a number of protected areas.  Not under any present threat.

Remarks:  In East Africa, leopard tortoises are respected and known as Mzee Kope, Mzee meaning elder and a form of respect.  They are usually not harmed and Masai warriors or moran are known to place them under shady trees and in holes when encountered.

Hardy and easy to tame, leopard tortoises are often kept as pets.

Length:    Avg. 1 - 1 ½ ft.  (up to 2 ¼ ft.)      Weight:    Avg. 15 ½ - 31 lbs.  (up to 88 lbs.)

Elephant and Tortoise

TWO powers, Elephant and Rain, had a dispute.  Elephant said, "If you say that you nourish me, in what way is it that you do so?"  Rain answered, "If you say that I do not nourish you, when I go away, will you not die?”  And Rain then departed.

Elephant said to Crow, "Cast lots!  Crow answered, "Give the things with which I may cast lots."  Crow cast lots and rain fell.  It rained at the lagoons, but they dried up, and only one lagoon remained.

Elephant went a-hunting.  There was, however, Tortoise, to whom Elephant said, "Tortoise, remain at the water!"  Thus Tortoise was left behind when Elephant went a-hunting.
There came Giraffe, and said to Tortoise, "Give me water!"  Tortoise answered, "The water belongs to Elephant."

There came Zebra, who said to Tortoise, "Give me water!"  Tortoise answered, "The water belongs to Elephant."

There came Oryx, and said to Tortoise, "Give me water!"  Tortoise answered, "The water belongs to Elephant."

There came Wildebeest, and said, "Give me water!"  Tortoise said, "The water belongs to Elephant."

There came Gazelle, and said to Tortoise, "Give me water!"  Tortoise said, "The water belongs to Elephant."

There came Jackal, and said to Tortoise, "Give me water!"  Tortoise said, "The water belongs to Elephant."

There came Lion, and said, "Little Tortoise, give me water!"  When little Tortoise was about to say something, Lion got hold of him and beat him; Lion drank of the water, and since then the animals drink water.

When Elephant came back from the hunting, he said, "Little Tortoise, is there water?"  Tortoise answered, "The animals have drunk the water."  Elephant asked, "Little Tortoise, shall I chew you or swallow you down?"  Little Tortoise said, "Swallow me, if you please!" and Elephant swallowed him whole.

After Elephant had swallowed Little Tortoise, and he had entered his body, he tore off his liver, heart, and kidneys.  Elephant said, "Little Tortoise, you kill me."
So Elephant died; but little Tortoise came out of his dead body, and went wherever he liked.

Tortoises Hunting Ostriches

ONE day, it is said, the Tortoises held a council how they might hunt Ostriches, and they said, "Let us, on both sides, stand in rows near each other, and let one go to hunt the Ostriches, so that they must flee back through the midst of us."  They did so, and as they were many, the Ostriches were obliged to run through the midst of them.  During this they did not move, but remaining always in the same places, called each to the other, "Are you there?" and each one answered, "I am here."  The Ostriches hearing this, ran so tremendously that they quite exhausted their strength, and fell down.  Then the Tortoises assembled by-and-by at the place where the Ostriches had fallen, and devoured them.