How old is my African spurred tortoise?
How to Tell The Age of a Sulcata Tortoise. Count the rings. Some people claim that counting the rings on a tortoise is about like counting the rings on a tree. The larger sections of growth equal a year.
How long do African spur thigh tortoises live?
Like other tortoises, the African Spurred Tortoise can live to a great age. The oldest known species is 56 years old, however, the can live much longer and some can reach 80 – 100 years old.
How long do African tortoise live?
They are only 2 to 3 inches long at birth, but grow quickly. They take 15 years to reach full maturity. Thanks in part to their slow metabolism and the fact that they don’t spend energy keeping themselves warm, spurred tortoises can live to be 150 years old.
How old can an African spurred tortoise live?
Like other tortoises, the African Spurred Tortoise can live to a great age. The oldest known species is 56 years old, however, the can live much longer and some can reach 80 – 100 years old. The African Spurred Tortoise is classed as Vulnerable by the IUCN.
How did the African spurred tortoise get its name?
It is the third-largest species of tortoise in the world, the largest species of mainland tortoise, and the only extant species in the genus Centrochelys . Its specific name sulcata is from the Latin word sulcus meaning “furrow” and refers to the furrows on the tortoise’s scales.
What happens to an African spurred tortoise during a drought?
Even from the moment these tortoises hatch they are aggressive with each other and even try to flip each other over on to their shells. The African Spurred Tortoise becomes inactive during very cold or very hot weather. When long drought periods occur, they survive by bedding themselves into their burrows.
How big do African spurred tortoise burrows get?
In these arid regions, the tortoise excavates burrows in the ground to get to areas with higher moisture levels, and spends the hottest part of the day in these burrows. This is known as aestivation. In the wild, they may burrow very deep; up to 15 m deep and 30 m long.
