AFRICAN SPURRED TORTOISE

CHARACTERISTICS: The males can reach up to 85cm in length and almost 100 Kg in weight and the females between 60 and 70 cm and around 65 Kg in weight. The base colour of the shell is dark brown; it is relatively flat, as well as wide and elongated. The tortoise has very thick skin. The males have 2-3 spurs on the upper part of the back legs, which do not appear in females or are smaller in size.
DIET: Dry grass, hay, straw and other plants. It can occasionally eat carrion.
REPRODUCTION: In the wild, it takes place all year round; the male behaves aggressively and can seriously injure the female. The female digs the nest under a bush, with a depth of 20 to 70cm and 30cm wide. It can lay between 10 and 35 eggs. In a year it can lay between 2 and 6 clutches. The females protect the nest until a few days later. The tortoises are born after 100-120 days.
CURIOSITIES: They probably live more than 100 years. They dig burrows that can reach 4 metres in depth and 20 in length. The males can cover a distance of 100km in search of females, without a problem.