Tortoise: African Spur Thigh Hatchlings
The sulcata's home range is the hottest, driest areas in Africa; a band across most of the continent south of the Sahara Desert. Some of the regions may not get rainfall for years. During the hottest part of the day, they dig and live in burrows that can be over 20 feet long. They do not hibernate like cold weather tortoises. They are the third largest tortoise in the world. In the wild, males may grow in size to 30 inches and weigh 230 pounds. Captive tortoises tend to be smaller, 2 feet in length and 100-200 pounds. Sexual maturity is reached at about 25-30 years old. They are difficult to sex correctly until they reach 25-30 inches long. A distinguishing feature is the cone shaped tubercles on each thigh. Heads are brown with darker jaws: limbs and tail also brown. The anterior surface on forlimbs is covered with large irregular shaped, knobby overlapping scales in three to six longitudinal rows. They are vegitarian relying on suculent plants for food. In captivity they consume grass, high fiber greens, eatable plants, and little fruit such as tomato. | |||
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