Angulate tortoise gathering speed

This angulate tortoise is legging it over the gravel in the Kammanassie, not trusting cameras or their bearers.

Scientifically known as Chersina angulata, the species is a smallish tortoise with life expectancy in excess of 30 years. Chersinos is a Greek word meaning land tortoise and Chersina is a monotypic genus. The angulata specific name refers to the elongated, single throat shield or gular scute protruding under the animal’s chin. This hard body part is used during the mating season by males to overturn competitors for gaining favour or head start with females. A tortoise can do very little lying on its back, let alone mate.

The angulate tortoise is known as the bontskilpad (multicoloured tortoise) or the rooipens (red belly) in Afrikaans. The colour pattern is variable, the rooipens name relating to a Western Cape variety that has a red-brown part on its stomach (or plastron) around a black centre. Inland forms are often darker, occasionally totally black.

The animals diet is grass, soft herbs and succulents, but it also eats snails, insects and animal faeces. All food is swallowed whole, taken in small bites as there are no teeth in the horny beak. Angulate tortoises can drink water by sucking it through their nostrils.

The species is endemic to southern Africa, living in the Northern, Western and Eastern Cape; also found in southern Namibia and on Robben Island.

It lives in dry areas and coastal scrub. The angulate tortoise is not considered to be threatened, but is protected and keeping it as a pet is controlled, requiring a permit. The greatest threat to the species is Homo sapiens that eats it or collects tortoises illegally from the wild and selling them as pets (Wikipedia; www.sanbi.org).