Chersina angulata
Silhouette: Andrew A. Farke · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~70% in a week ~90%
The angulate tortoise (Chersina angulata) is a species of tortoise found in dry areas and coastal scrub vegetation in South Africa. It is the only living member of the genus Chersina. This species is highly distinctive and is now classified by itself, in the monotypic Chersina genus. While it differs considerably from all other tortoise species, its closest relatives, according to phylogenetic studies, are the tiny "padloper" (Homopus) tortoise species, with which it shares its southern African habitat.
Internationally it is known by the two names of "angulate" and "bowsprit" tortoise. Locally in southern Africa however, it is uniformly known as the "angulate" tortoise in English, and as the rooipens skilpad ("red-belly tortoise") in Afrikaans.
A small, shy tortoise with a relatively variable shell, they can often be distinguished by their prominent "bowsprits", which are protrusions of the "gular" shields, from their plastrons under their chins. These are used by males to fight for territory or females. Uniquely, this species has only one gular shield under its chin; all other southern African tortoises have a divided/double... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | West Coast National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 2 | De Hoop Nature Reserve | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 3 | Table Mountain National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 4 | Addo Elephant National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 5 | Garden Route National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cape Town | 🇿🇦 South Africa |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Schönbrunn Zoo | 🇦🇹 Austria | |
| 2 | World of Birds Wildlife Sanctuary and Monkey Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 3 | A Cupulatta | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 4 | National Marine Aquarium of Namibia | 🇳🇦 Namibia | |
| 5 | Exotic Animal World | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 6 | Tropicarium Park | 🇮🇹 Italy |
Possible
About 30% of wildlife watchers report an Angulate Tortoise sighting in Cape Town on a given day, based on 618 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 4th most-seen of the 35 reptiles we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 70%, and over a week to about 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
October
In that month about 40% of wildlife watchers report an Angulate Tortoise in Cape Town on a given day, against about 20% in March, June and December, the lowest months.
Between 10 am and 1 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Angulate Tortoise sightings with a recorded time, and nearly all of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Only Cape Town, in our data
Cape Town is the only city on Wallace's Line with enough records to rate Angulate Tortoise sightings: about 30% of wildlife watchers there report one on a given day.
Same family: Testudinidae
The closest relatives of the Angulate Tortoise that you can see in Cape Town (family Testudinidae, Tortoises) are Parrot-beaked Tortoise (about 20%) and Leopard Tortoise (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Angulate Tortoise is recorded against all the reptiles logged in Cape Town (618 verified sightings), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
