Stigmochelys pardalis
Silhouette: Andrew A. Farke · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~40%
The leopard tortoise (Stigmochelys pardalis) is a large and attractively marked tortoise found in the savannas of eastern and southern Africa, from Sudan to the southern Cape Province. It is the only extant member of the genus Stigmochelys, although in the past, it was commonly placed in Geochelone. This tortoise is a grazing species that favors semiarid, thorny to grassland habitats. In both very hot and very cold weather, it may dwell in abandoned fox, jackal, or aardvark burrows. The leopard tortoise does not dig other than to make nests in which to lay eggs. Given its propensity for grassland habitats, it grazes extensively upon mixed grasses. It also favors succulents and thistles.
The phylogenic placement of the leopard tortoise has been subject to several revisions. More recently, consensus appears to have settled on Stigmochelys, a monotypic genus. Stigmochelys is a combination... Wikipedia →
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pretoria | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 2 | Addis Ababa | 🇪🇹 Ethiopia | |
| 3 | Johannesburg | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 4 | Nairobi | 🇰🇪 Kenya | |
| 5 | Cape Town | 🇿🇦 South Africa |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Diego Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Prague Zoo | 🇨🇿 Czechia | |
| 3 | Denver Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Zlín-Lešná Zoo | 🇨🇿 Czechia | |
| 5 | Zoo de Doué | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 6 | Abilene Zoological Gardens | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 7 | African Lion Safari | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 8 | Living Desert Zoo and Gardens | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 9 | Haller Park | 🇰🇪 Kenya | |
| 10 | Kansas City Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 11 | Badoca Safari Park | 🇵🇹 Portugal | |
| 12 | Tallinn Zoo | 🇪🇪 Estonia | |
| 13 | Safari Madrid | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 14 | Saitama Children's Zoo | 🇯🇵 Japan | |
| 15 | Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 16 | Zoo Gdańsk | 🇵🇱 Poland | |
| 17 | Suzhou Shangfangshan Forest Zoo | 🇨🇳 China | |
| 18 | Phoenix Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 19 | The Maryland Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 20 | Cape May County Park & Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 21 | Wildlife World Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 22 | Selwo Aventura | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 23 | Jardim Zoológico de Maputo | 🇲🇿 Mozambique | |
| 24 | Louisville Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 25 | Out of Africa Wildlife Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 26 | Warsaw Zoo | 🇵🇱 Poland | |
| 27 | Guadalajara Zoo | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 28 | Oklahoma City Zoo and Botanical Garden | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 29 | Saint Louis Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 30 | Colchester Zoo | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 31 | Caldwell Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 32 | Edinburgh Zoo | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 33 | Calgary Zoo | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 34 | Temaikén | 🇦🇷 Argentina | |
| 35 | Tanganyika Wildlife Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 36 | Zacango Zoo | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 37 | Indianapolis Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 38 | Lisbon Zoo | 🇵🇹 Portugal | |
| 39 | Parc de l'Auxois | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 40 | Zoológico Benito Juárez | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 41 | Austin Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 42 | Miskolc Zoo | 🇭🇺 Hungary | |
| 43 | Zoo Aquarium de Madrid | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 44 | La Palmyre Zoo | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 45 | Gembira Loka Zoo | 🇮🇩 Indonesia | |
| 46 | Mesker Park Zoo and Botanic Garden | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 47 | Chapultepec Zoo | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 48 | Fresno Chaffee Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 49 | Honolulu Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 50 | Soğanlı Zoo | 🇹🇷 Türkiye |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Leopard Tortoise sighting in Cape Town on a given day, based on 34 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 23rd most-seen of the 35 reptiles we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 40%, if each day is a fresh chance.
January, March–May and July–October
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Leopard Tortoise in Cape Town on a given day, against under 5% in February, June and November–December, the lowest months.
Between 10 am and 1 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Leopard Tortoise sightings with a recorded time, and nearly all of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
5th of 5
Of the 5 cities where we can rate Leopard Tortoise sightings, Cape Town ranks 5th at about 10%. The best odds are in Pretoria (South Africa, about 40%), Addis Ababa (Ethiopia, about 40%) and Johannesburg (South Africa, about 20%).
Same family: Testudinidae
The closest relatives of the Leopard Tortoise that you can see in Cape Town (family Testudinidae, Tortoises) are Angulate Tortoise (about 30%) and Parrot-beaked Tortoise (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Leopard Tortoise is recorded against all the reptiles logged in Cape Town (34 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.
