Leopard Tortoise

Geochelone pardalis

Janis the Leopard Tortoise

Reptiles Alive Name: “Janis” (aka Dash)

Hissstory: Janis was donated to Reptiles Alive by our former Lead Keeper, Janis Gerritts in October of 2002.

RA Diet: Janis dines on grass, weeds, hay and occasionally gets some fruit as a special treat.

Natural Diet: Leopard tortoises graze on grasses and weeds.  Kind of like cows with shells.

Range:  Leopard tortoises are found in Africa from South Africa north to Sudan.

Habitat: Deserts and savannas are the primary habitat of leopard tortoises.   They hide in burrows during the hottest part of the day.

Size: Leopard tortoises are big turtles.  They can grow over 20 inches long and weigh around 50 pounds. The record weight for a leopard tortoise is 96 pounds.

Lifespan: Tortoises can live for up to around 100 years.

Reproduction: Leopard tortoise females lay around 20-25 eggs in a clutch.  The eggs hatch in 120 to 150 days.

Conservation: Leopard tortoises have two main threats:  habitat loss and collection for the pet trade or bush meat markets.

Cool Fact: Leopard tortoises have voices!  When mating, a male tortoise makes a series of grunts that can actually be quite loud.