African spurred tortoise

- Centrochelys sulcata

The African spurred tortoise first received a scientific name, Testudo sulcata, by the English illustrator of animals and plants John Frederick Miller in 1779. It was later assigned for a long time to the genus. Geochelone Fitzinger, 1835. But, following a proposal by the French herpetologist Roger Bour in 1985, is now placed in the old subgenre Centrochelys Gray, 1872, which has since been elevated to the category of gender. So far no subspecies have been described.

The African spurred tortoise (Centrochelys sulcata) is native to the Sahara Desert and the Sahel, a transitional ecoregion of semi-arid grasslands, savannahs and thorny thickets found in the countries of Burkina Faso, the Central African Republic, Chad, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Mali, Mauritania, Nigeria, Senegal, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Yemen and possibly Somalia, Algeria, Benin and Cameroon. Possibly extinct in Djibouti and Togo.

The dorsal shell – also called the carapacho –, of about 80 cm size, it is quite flattened and has curved marginal shields around it. Strongly pronounced growth rings remain visible into old age, but they also give it its character. Throat shields protrude from the edge of the dorsal carapace, are curved upwards and are forked. Éstas dan a la tortuga su nombre de «Tortuga de espolones». A split can also be found in the rear shield. The color of the African spurred tortoise is cream, yellow-orange and sometimes brown or olive. You can't name a certain trend.

At the bottom of the African spurred tortoise a very clear and often almost white ventral shell can be seen that also shows growth rings. On the hind legs there is a very striking spur that also gave name to the animals.

When are born, theAfrican spurred tortoise weighs between 30 and 40 g.. Their weight multiplies in the first year. At one year of age, usually weigh between 150 and 210 g.. The growth of the African spurred tortoise depends largely on how it is maintained. Animals that are kept in an optimal environment grow evenly and gain weight each month. Specimens exposed to great stress usually have growth problems and can even lose weight in the meantime..

The African spurred tortoise inhabits three different vegetation zones. Among them are dry and hot grasslands of semi-desert character, leafy thickets and grasslands with stands of acacia. Daytime temperatures above 40 °C are the norm in its distribution area. You can even reach the 50 °C. The minimum temperature values ​​are 3-21 °C. But, in some biotopes night frosts may occasionally occur.

The sparse vegetation of the habitat of the African spurred tortoise consists mainly of several species of acacias, baobab, tamarinds, species of thorny shrubs, species of wild millet, Digitaria sp., Panicum sp., thorny herbs Cenchrus sp. and low growth, mainly annual, of herbs and pastures.

The African spurred tortoise it is a cold-blooded reptile that needs to minimize seasonal and diurnal temperature fluctuations through appropriate behavior to maintain a suitable body temperature. An important role in this type of thermoregulation is the search for a suitable shelter for the season and time of day.. As such, the African spurred tortoise uses burrows in the ground, that may have up to 4 m depth and 15 m length. If available, use the abandoned burrows of other animals. But from the 2-3 years of age, the African spurred tortoise also digs underground tunnels on its own with its strong front legs and, sometimes, with the throat shields in the form of a hairpin. They don't normally use a single burrow, sino que «poseen» varias, that they sometimes share with other turtles and even with other animal species.

In the coldest season, the African spurred tortoise it already comes out of its burrow in the morning and warms up before going in search of food. On the other hand, in the hottest season, often only activated in the evening hours. In the intervening periods, is usually active in two phases, that is to say, returns to its burrow during the hot day. In particular, the wettest season is used intensively, while dry and hot periods must also be endured inactively in the burrow to protect themselves from desiccation. During this summer lethargy, metabolism and heartbeat are greatly reduced, similar to the winter lethargy of other species.

State of conservation ⓘ
Vulnerable ⓘ (UICN)ⓘ

The African spurred tortoise is listed as endangered on the Red List and threatened in Appendix II of the Washington Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species. The reasons are the collection for personal use (pets, foods) and for export, the fragmentation and urban expansion of what was once a huge mountain range, and the advance of the desert towards the mountain range.

On the other hand, breeding in the care of man has been very successful.

These turtles need a lot of space and cannot be kept in a large terrarium even in winter after two or three years.. Then you need a full room in a room of the house, or a very modern and heavily heated stable. Many owners have converted their garage for this purpose. Insulation made to keep warm, but also good ventilation for good circulation are a great challenge based on opposites.

The African spurred tortoise needs a permanent ambient temperature of 30 °C and also heat sources under which the values ​​can be reached. 45 °C. Animals must stay outdoors in summer. But, they always need access to the barn or the room where the 30 °C. Who thinks that this is not a problem in summer because of the high temperatures outside, you will soon learn to do better. The place is heated basically all year round and, Therefore, energy costs will amount to several hundred euros.

Then there's the food. Although animals eat almost only hay in winter and feed on straw, you have to bring bales of hay. The African spurred tortoise eats a lot because it is extremely large. Nor should you assume that you are going to buy a Turtle until there is no more space. Why deliver a great African spurred tortoise a new owner is a feat and often unsuccessful. Most of these tortoises reach their owners when they are young., who often don't know what they're doing. There are few people who take a African spurred tortoise adult, and only on rare occasions do they take one from an animal park, because here you have to face reality.

The female of the African spurred tortoise reaches sexual maturity when weighing between 15 and 20 kg. The age of the tortoise plays a very minor role here.. The animal usually reaches that weight at the age of 10 years. Some specimens only reach this weight at the age of 12 to 15 years. Males growing in the same environment usually need one to three more years..

The African spurred tortoise puts 3 clutches per year and up to 40 eggs in a year. The hatchlings take a few 120 days to hatch. There is no specific time of year for mating. In captivity, this usually occurs in the normal summer, since that is when the days are cooler and rainier.

The females of the African spurred tortoise lays eggs about a month after mating.

The price of a "African spurred tortoise" at the exotic animal market, bred in captivity, ranges between 100 – 150 EUR.

A young woman "African spurred tortoise" (Geochelone sulcata) on his mother's shield	Giant turtle (Geochelone sulcata) in the Guembeul reserve in Senegal

1. Grooved Tortoise, Sahel Tortoise, Tortue Sillonnée (English).
2. Tortue à éperons (French).
3. Spornschildkröte Centrochelys (German).
4. Tartaruga sulcata, Tartaruga-purgada africana (Portuguese).
5. Tortuga Sulcata, Tortuga gigante africana (español).