Geochelone sulcata | 台北市立動物園資訊網

Lifespan/Longevity;Behavior;FoodHabits;EconomicImportancefor...TheAfricanspurredtortoise(Geochelonesulcata)occursalongthesouthernedgeofthe ...

The African spurred tortoise (Geochelone sulcata) occurs along the southern edge of the Sahara, from Senegal and Mauritania east through Mali, Niger, Chad, the Sudan, Ethiopia, along the Red Sea in Eritrea.

The Sulcata tortoise lives in hot, arid environments of the Sahelian type. These areas range from desert fringes to dry savannahs. Standing water is only around for limited amounts of time. Much of its range has been disturbed by urbanisation, domestic animal grazing, and desertification.

G. sulcata is the largest of the African mainland tortoises. Only the Galapagos tortoises are larger. These tortoises have broad, oval, flattened carapaces that are brown to yellow in color. The carapace is flattened dorsally, wi...