Pancake Tortoise

About the pancake tortoise

The pancake tortoise is the only member of its genus, and its shell is unlike anything else in the tortoise world: thin, flat, and flexible rather than the domed, rigid armor most tortoises carry. Where other tortoises have solid shell bone, the pancake tortoise's shell bones are riddled with openings, which makes the animal lighter and more agile than its relatives. It does carry one solid feature — a highly ossified lump at the rear of the shell that stands apart from the rest of its bone structure. The carapace is brown, often patterned with radiating dark lines on each scute that help the tortoise blend into its dry, rocky habitat; the plastron underneath is pale yellow with dark brown seams and light yellow rays, and the head, limbs, and tail are yellow-brown. Its shell can reach 17.8 cm (7.0 in) long.

The species is named for German zoologist Gustav Tornier, honored in both the scientific name tornieri and the alternate common name, Tornier's tortoise. It's native to East Africa — southern Kenya and northern and eastern Tanzania — with a small population also reported in northern Zambia and a possible introduced population in Zimbabwe. It lives on hillsides with rocky outcrops known as kopjes, in arid thorn scrub and savanna between 100 and 6,000 ft (30 to 1,800 m) in elevation, within the Somalia-Masai floristic region's Acacia-Commiphora bushland and, at higher elevations, Brachystegia woodland.

Its odd, flattened build has made it a sought-after animal in zoos and private collections alike — a popularity that has, unfortunately, contributed to its over-exploitation in the wild.

Behavior and diet

Pancake tortoises live in isolated colonies, with a number of individuals often sharing the same kopje or even the same rock crevice. They're most active in the morning and late afternoon or early evening, and while they don't appear to hibernate, there are reports that they aestivate beneath flat rocks during the hottest months. Both wild and captive tortoises bask regularly. Their diet consists primarily of dry grasses and vegetation.

What sets this tortoise apart is how it escapes danger. Rather than withdrawing into its shell — a strategy that would leave it vulnerable, since it could easily be torn apart by a determined predator — the pancake tortoise runs. It's a fast, agile climber that rarely strays far from its home rock, so that when disturbed it can dash for the nearest crevice and wedge itself in using the flexibility of its shell, exploiting rock gaps no other tortoise can use. Two competing explanations are given for how it wedges itself in place: pressing its ossified rear lump against the crevice ceiling with its hind legs, or inflating an unossified section of the plastron with air.

Mating happens in January and February, with larger males getting more chances to breed. Nesting in the wild appears to happen in July and August, though captive tortoises produce clutches year-round. A female digs a nest cavity 7.5 to 10 cm deep in loose, sandy soil and typically lays just one egg at a time, though she may lay several eggs across a season, spaced four to eight weeks apart. In captivity, incubation takes four to six months, and hatchlings are independent from the moment they emerge.

Range and habitat

The pancake tortoise is native to East Africa, found across southern Kenya and northern and eastern Tanzania. Small populations are also reported in northern Zambia, along with a possible introduced population in Zimbabwe. It occupies rocky hillsides and outcrops called kopjes, set within arid thorn scrub and savanna from 100 to 6,000 ft (30 to 1,800 m) above sea level — part of the Somalia-Masai floristic region, an arid semi-desert of Acacia-Commiphora bushland with Brachystegia woodland at higher ground. It's typically found in dry, low-altitude savanna near small rocky hills formed from crystalline basement rock.

Potential predators in Kenya include common dwarf mongoose, white-tailed mongoose, bushy-tailed mongoose, common slender mongoose, common genets, honey badgers, African civets, rock monitors, puff adders, and Von der Decken's hornbills.

Conservation status

The pancake tortoise is classified as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List and is listed on Appendix I of CITES. Its biggest threats are habitat destruction and over-exploitation by the pet trade; because the species reproduces slowly, populations that have been heavily collected can take a long time to recover. In Kenya, clearance of thorn scrub for agriculture reduces available habitat, while in Tanzania overgrazing by goats and cattle has the same effect.

Legal protections exist on both sides of its range. Kenya banned export of the species in 1981 without written ministerial permission, and Tanzania protects it under the Wildlife Conservation (National Game) Order of 1974, including within Serengeti National Park. The European Union banned imports of the species in 1988, though trade among EU member states has reportedly continued regardless. The pancake tortoise has been bred successfully in captivity and is now part of a coordinated breeding program in European zoos.