We’ve had a huge amount of amazing sightings this year already, but before I go into the many lion, cheetah, rhino etc etc sightings, I have decided to kick off the new year with something very sweet: a Leopard Tortoise that we saw earlier on today.
So first off, what’s the difference between a turtle and a tortoise? Well, Turtles live in water, and Tortoises live on land. Go figure why the Ninja Turtles are not called Ninja Tortoises, given that they seem to be on land pretty much all the time, but hey, maybe the creators should have gone on safari first to educate themselves. Speaking of which … I read somewhere a few years ago that the creators of “Lion King” were sent to Africa for several weeks after they submitted the draft drawings to the Disney studio bosses. Posh as they are, the bosses had, of course, been to Africa before on a swanky safari, and so they immediately saw that what they saw didn’t capture the magic of Africa at all, and shipped them all over. Well, the rest is history. Africa’s charm (they went to South Africa actually, I think) wasn’t lost on them, and they went on to produce Disney’s most successful film … ever! It is still running as a musical in several places now, about 20 years on.
I digressed a little, my apologies, so back to the Tortoise:
Well, this one is called a Leopard Tortoise. It is not too clear on this photo, but their checkered pattern of the carapace looks like a Leopard’s fur. The eat mostly grass and other plants, and they are home to most of Southern Africa. We have quite a few around on our reserve. They can live up to 100 years, so these guys have seen it all … and with their carapace protection, they are fairly safe of predators. They are still scared sometimes, and there is nothing funnier than seeing a tortoise trying to “run” away from you. It’s the sort of thing that makes you feel sorry for them. 😉
That said, they can grow quite large, up to 80cm actually, and with their large carapace domes, they can leave many of our guests well impressed. These are not tiny animals, far from it. They are also clever. For a reason or another, noone knows really how they do it, but they are rain predictors. When we see them out and about, you can bet that in a few hours it will rain, even if the sky is blue and the sun booms down on you. They know what’s coming. When I was told this I didn’t believe it myself, but over the years, I have come to believe this to be true. Somehow, every time I see a few out, that same evening it rains. It really works, incredibly enough. When you are on visit here, do remember this when you see them, and check if it is true … you’ll be amazed.
Enough talk, here the photo! 🙂
