home sweet home, tortoises of kenya

The leopard tortoise is a large and attractively marked tortoise. The carapace is high and domed, and pyramid shaped scutes are not uncommon. The skin and background color is cream to yellow, and the carapace is marked with black blotches, spots or even dashes or stripes. Each individual is marked uniquely. An adult's maximum shell length can reach a 24" diameter. Leopard tortoises are the fourth largest species of tortoise, after the Sulcata tortoise, the Galapagos tortoise, and Seychelles Island tortoise.